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In honor of this month’s International Women’s Day, we are going to take a look into the real Mulan’s story so you can learn more about the Chinese legend.

You have probably already seen the original animated classic Mulan, and you might even know about the upcoming live remake of the same name, but you might not be aware that there is a real Mulan story in Chinese folklore. Read on, as we look into the life of Hua Mulan.

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Who is Hua Mulan?

Hua Mulan appears in Chinese legend as a female warrior from the Northern and Southern dynasties somewhere between 386 to 589 CE. Her story is told through the Ballad of Mulan and over the years, her story has been retold many times in Chinese folklore.

In the original story told in the Ballad of Mulan, Hua Mulan ends up disguising herself as a man, to take the place of her father in the army. She does this because the men in her family are conscripted into the military, but her father is too old and infirm to fight and her brother is too young. Mulan, who is already trained in martial arts, becomes a decorated soldier who fights for 12 years in the army and remains undetected as a woman for all those years. Mulan’s true identity is not revealed until after her return home when some of her fellow soldiers see her wearing women’s clothes.

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Another famous retelling of the Hua Mulan story is the Romance of the Sui and Tang by Chu Renhuo. This story was first told in 1675 and features a few different details and plot twists when compared to the original legend. First of all the time period was changed to around 603 - 619 CE, which is during the Tang Dynasty’s battle with the Western Turkic Kaghanate. Hua Mulan once again takes her father’s place in the army as he is too old and weak to fight, but this time Mulan has a sister and a baby brother.

During her time in the army, Mulan is picked up by the Xia king Dou Jiande and is interrogated by the king’s daughter Xianniang who is also a warrior. Xianniang discovers that Mulan is also a woman and she is so enamored by Mulan that they become sworn sisters.

After this point, the story comes to a tragic end for Hua Mulan. First of all, Xianniang’s father is found to have sided with the enemy of the Tang, so both Xianniang and Mulan surrender in his place and agree to be executed. For their virtuous act, Emperor Taizong of Tang frees Mulan and Xianniang. Mulan is then given money to provide for her parents and she returns home. She then discovers to her dismay that her father has long since died and her mother has remarried. Mulan is then ordered by the Khan, the leader of her province, to become one of his royal concubines. Rather than serve her sworn enemy, Mulan decides to commit suicide and ends her tale.

I addition to the literary retellings, Mulan was adapted into an on-screen story as early as 1927. In 1998 a Chinese animated retelling of Mulan was created which featured animals playing all the different characters.

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Hua Mulan is also retold in a number of western adaptations including the famous Disney animated movie Mulan and Mulan II. The character of Mulan has even appeared in the Deadpool comic Deadpool Killustrated where she and other famous literary characters must try to stop Deadpool from killing them.

Mulan will also be shown later this year in a live-action Disney remake featuring Liu Yifei as Mulan as well as Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Gong Li, and Tzi Ma. Perhaps even more amazing than Mulan’s famous legend is the fact that there is a crater named after her on the planet Venus.

We definitely agree that Mulan is an inspiration for women of all ages, and we certainly tip our hat to the story of Hua Mulan.