Mulan

Disney's Mulan (1998) is a tale based on Chinese legends, depicting a brave woman who takes her injured father's place to serve in the army. Posing as a man, Ping, she uses her intelligence and determination to save all of China and bring honor to her family.

In contrast to Disney's other heroines, Mulan is active from the start, even from the opening scenes as she rides into town on her horse, bareback, and jumps off. It shown by her experience at the Matchmakers that she never fit societal expectations for an ideal woman from the start.
Mulan is too adventurous, too active and brave to be a passive wife - her role better fits being a warrior and saving China.

Mulan has a loving mother and grandmother, motherly figures the first wave Princesses never had, and a good home life. She is treated well, and only suffers oppression all woman at that time experienced, such as role in bringing honor to the family measured only through her abilities as a wife.

Through this film, young girls can see a true heroine to look up to. Mulan shows improvement in her fighting skills and good characteristics such as perseverance, endurance and strength through her intensive training.


"Trust my recipe for instant Bride, you'll bring honor to us all" - she is too look a certain way to get a husband and the only way it was expected for a woman to bring pride to a household was with a good match....that is until Mulan saves all of China...that brings Pride too.

Mulan shows her intelligence from the start, not only from her sly ingenuity to get out of household chores by attaching a bag of feed and a bone on a string to her dog, but also in town when she moves the checker piece to help a man beat his opponent in the game, just as she's being hurried from having her hair done to putting on make-up and clothes.

"men want girls with good taste,
calm, obedient, who work fast paced,
with good breeding and a tiny waist,
you'll bring honor to us all"

"scarier than the undertaker, we are meeting our match-maker"

With the match-maker Mulan is immeditaely in trouble for "speaking without permission" when she proudly announces that she is present after her name is called.

All of this shows that the expectations for women at the time were simply to be good daughters and wives. With Mulan's couragous adventure, this entire notion is  undermined. Mulan shows she is just as capable as the men in the army, and if fact even more so, as it is her bravery and ingenuity that saves China twice, first at the mountains, and finally at the Emperor's palace.

Mulan doubts herself as she sings "Reflection" and questions "when will my reflection show, who I really am". She is upset that she has brought shame to her family by not impressing the match-maker and doesn't feel she can be her true self, though her father is supportive, explaining that "the late-blooming blossom is the most beautiful of all".

This moment is interrupted by the arrival of the conscription army, at which point Mulan is told to stay inside, but the encouragement of her grandmother, Mulan climbs the roof to see what's going on, again displaying her curiosity and athleticism. Mulan is strong willed and free speaking, she is brave to stand up against the officials to try to save her injured and elderly father from battle, but this is not received well:  "you will do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue in a man's presence"
Despite Mulan's continually repression, she is ever brave and strong-willed, showing girls do have power.

There are many gender stereotypes in this film, that I believe are intentionally included for humor and played on to highlight the insignificant differences between men and woman, as Mulan successfully integrates herself into the male society, posing as a man. So while the differences are highlighted, it is shown that the gender difference does not prevent Mulan from achieving success when she is given the same chances as males.

Such stereotypes include:
Mulan: "they're disgusting"
Mushu: "no, they're men"

Mushu: "punch him, that's how men say hello"

Mulan: "those manly urges when you just gotta kill something, fix something, cook outdoors"


Just as Mulan is being kicked out of the training camp for failing all the tasks, she uses her intelligence and perseverance to climb the pole, using the weights to aid her, and retrieve the arrow. Through this task, she earns the respect of the other men and now excels in all the training tasks. She has proven that a woman is just as capable (though of course her identity remains secret).

In "A Girl Worth Fighting For" Mulan puts forward the qualities she would like in a woman, "how bout a girl who's got a brain who always speaks her mind", to which the males simply replied, "Nah" and day dreamed of pretty girls, or good cooks. Again, showing that the males are seen to value only domestic qualities in women and that nothing more is expected from them.  This is a recurrent theme throughout the movie, but Mulan breaks down these views and by the end a change in attitude is certainly shown...it only took a woman to save all of China to get there!

Mulan used her intelligence to defeat the army by blasting the last rocket into the mountains to cause an avalanche, and she goes after Shang to save him, all while suffering from a wound.
The men cheer "let's hear it for Ping, the bravest of them all", but this tone quickly changes when, after receiving medical attention, it is discovered she is a woman. While usually posing as a man in the army would be punishable by death, Shang spares Mulan, "a life for a life".

Though disheartened, Mulan is too brave to return home when she knows China still needs saving. But now, as a woman, "no one will listen" to Mulan and Mushu puts it to her best, "Hey, you're a girl again remember?".

The men don't listen to Mulan, even though she's right about the Huns.
When the Emperor is snatched, the men try to ram the door, which she knows won't be quick enough, so she comes up with an idea to get them in. Now the men follow her, showing their respect for her and trust in her judgement.

Once the emperor was saved, Mulan could have fled to safety, but she bravely stayed to save Shang and defeat Shan Yu, leader of the Huns.

Mulan fights Shan Yu herself, showing skill, agility, strength and intelligence. She executes her plan perfectly and saves all of China.

Shang recognizes Mulan's great success, acknowledging "She's a hero", but still there are opponents to a woman with such power. Chi-Fu, who is not well-liked throughout the film, argues "She's a woman, she'll never be worth anything". Mulan's army comrades come to her defense and Shang is angered by how Chi-Fu speaks about Mulan. These reactions are Disney's way of showing that powerful women are accepted and esteemed, no longer repressed and punished. This is further emphasized as 'All of China, bow down to her, following the Emperor's lead. The Emperor sought to make her a member of his council, showing he respects and trusts the views of a woman and believes she is capable of fulfilling such an important position. Mulan, however, respectfully declines as she's ready to go home, so the Emperor gives her his Crest and the sword of Shan Yu, so her family will know what honor she brings and so all of China will know she has saved them.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all" - Emperor

This is not your typical Disney love story, but I find it empowering that Mulan can be a real heroine, saving all of China, and still have a man respect and love her, coming to her home shyly and awkwardly to show his affection. There is no magic true love's kiss, no palace she's whisked away to, far better, Mulan has earned the respect of everyone, has proven her worth, become her country's hero, returned safely home to her family, and gets the man she wants. Now that's a happy ending.

It is interesting that Disney include Mulan in their Princess line, when she is neither royalty nor does she marry into it, but hey, I'm glad there's an action-intensive, amazing woman who's being portrayed as a role model to children.

Unlike the Disney movie, the origins of Mulan's story explain that she was already proficient with weapons and trained in martial arts when she took her father's place in the army at the age of 18. She fought for 12 years, but turned down rewards and high ranking positions in favor of returning to a quiet life at home.
The legend of Mulan was first documented in The Ballad of Mulan, and then given more details in Xu Wei's play, The Heroine Mulan Joins the Army in Place of her Father (1368-1644). Interesting comparisons between Disney's version and this play as well as some great GIFs can be found here.

The Ballad of Mulan:

Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.
You don't hear the shuttle's sound,
You only hear Daughter's sighs.
They ask Daughter who's in her heart,
They ask Daughter who's on her mind.
"No one is on Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there's Father's name.
Father has no grown-up son,
Mu-lan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place."

In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien.

At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.
She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.

On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.
He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
"Mu-lan has no use for a minister's post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home."

When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.
When Elder Sister hears Younger Sister is coming
She fixes her rouge, facing the door.
When Little Brother hears Elder Sister is coming
He whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep.
"I open the door to my east chamber,
I sit on my couch in the west room,
I take off my wartime gown
And put on my old-time clothes."
Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,
Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder
She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.
Traveling together for twelve years
They didn't know Mu-lan was a girl.
"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?"

http://www.chinapage.com/mulan-e.html

Further Readings on the Legend of Mulan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan
http://ancientstandard.com/2011/06/17/the-real-story-of-mulan/