Scholarly consensus is that Mulan is a fictional character, probably developed in Northern China in response to the greater independence women enjoyed there, whose legend was then revised in succeeding eras to reflect the values and challenges of the times.
While the social and cultural milieu of the Northern Wei dynasty provided the context for the tale's origins, there's no corroborative evidence to confirm that Mulan was ever a real person. Over time, the story and character's nomadic and tribal origins have significantly changed from the original.
It dates all the way back to 386–581 AD at least, likely beginning in oral retellings and being written down significantly later. Unfortunately, with almost no way to verify its authenticity, no one knows if there is any truth behind the story, or if it comes from a place of fiction.
The live-action movie for Mulan premiered this year to a wide range of mixed reviews. There was debate online about the differences between the original animated musical and the live-action film. However, many people forgot one important fact. Mulan is based on a real Chinese legend!
Yifei Liu as Mulan, the eldest daughter of Hua Zhou, who defies both tradition and the law by disguising herself as a man by the name of "Hua Jun", in order to enlist herself in the Imperial Army in place of her ailing father.
The boycott stems from actress Liu Yifei's public support of the Hong Kong police. Liu first revealed her support for the police during Hong Kong's pro-democracy and anti-police brutality protests in 2019. The film faced more backlash for filming in Xinjiang, a Chinese region where Uyghur are reportedly being detained.
Even though Disney bent over backwards to create a live-action “Mulan” that would appeal to China, disgruntled Chinese viewers have dubbed it “the worst 'Mulan' in history,” saying that it feels “wooden” and offensively inauthentic.
Mulan did not have a dragon sidekick named Mushu. However, in a later iteration of her story, she had a cousin named “Mushu” who had avoided the draft by dressing up as a woman.
That said, there are sizable differences between the '98 movie and the ancient poem. In the ballad, Mulan fought against Rouran invaders instead of the Huns, a historical inaccuracy that the new film takes care to correct. The original Disney film also collapses the historical timeline.
The film Mulan is historically accurate in its portrayal of Daoist ideas, the expected behavior of women according to Confucianism, and Confucian relationships.
The story of Mulan comes from an ancient Chinese poem called the Ballad of Mulan, which is set in the Northern Wei Dynasty, between 386 to 534 AD. At the time of the Northern Wei era, the Hun people – or Xiongnu people – would often invade the northern parts of Han China, tour company China Highlights says.
The biggest issue is this film features way less action than it's predecessor and way less Mulan (she practically disappears in the middle of the film). Mulan's bickering with Shang is also very badly written. Yet, minor complaints. Overall a decent film.
For instance, a specific discrepancy in the original film is regarding Mulan's family name. It was changed from what it is commonly known as “Hua” in Chinese households to “Fa” in the film to create a character more comfortable for American audiences.
Chinese critics, both at home and abroad, said they were disappointed with the film's inaccurate and stereotypical portrayals of Chinese history and the main character, infused with nationalist tropes. Others were not as bothered.
However, while government restrictions and Disney's history of releasing films not aligned with Chinese politics didn't help, one of the main reasons "Mulan" bombed at the box office was because audiences thought Mulan was too "foreign-looking."
Wáng Xiāo 王骁, an agitator from the nationalist website Guancha.cn, suggested on Weibo (in Chinese) that Disney had usurped China's “discursive power,” or “the power to interpret our own culture.” This resonated with many viewers, who were angered by the movie's presentation of “a Western understanding of Chinese ...
— Henn, on animating Mulan as "Ping". Visually, the animators were influenced by both traditional Chinese and Japanese artwork. In the specific case of Mulan, "The characters' simple lines ... resemble classic Asian painting".
Mulan premiered at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 5, 1998, and was released in the United States on June 19. The film was well received by critics and the public, who praised the animation, plot, characters (particularly the title character), and musical score, and grossed over $304 million.
Now, when you watch #Mulan, not only are you turning a blind eye to police brutality and racial injustice (due to what the lead actors stand for), you're also potentially complicit in the mass incarceration of Muslim Uyghurs. #BoycottMulan,” prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong tweeted, per IndieWire.
Unfortunately for fans of this princess, Mulan II did terribly. Critics regarded the film as a huge disrespect to the original Mulan. This discouraged Disney from pursuing her story any further, so Mulan III was shelved and Ana Ming never made it anywhere.
Disney's live-action remake of the animated classic Mulan, directed by Niki Caro and starring the Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei, had filming locations in New Zealand and China in August 2018.
The filmmakers were trying too hard to pander to China, but did not try hard enough to get their historical facts right. They made Mulan too westernized yet still succumbed to Orientalist stereotypes. They cast popular Chinese actors yet gave them lines in English that felt awkward in a Chinese setting.
