The Ballad of Mulan

Author: Traditional

Time Period: 1 CE–500 CE

Country or Culture: China

Genre: Legend

Overview

Fifth- and sixth-century China, immediately preceding the founding of the Tang dynasty, was a period of warfare and political upheaval. As groups vied for power and political boundaries were established and broken, the Northern Wei dynasty managed to unite a large area of northern China for nearly 150 years. Toward the end of this period, however, the constant power struggles erupted in the dynasty itself, splitting into the Eastern Wei dynasty and the Western Wei dynasty, both of which would fall soon after.

It was during this period that the legend of Hua Mulan was first recorded. A brief poem, “Ode of Mulan” was written in a book of popular songs, although it is likely the story, variants of which are called “The Ballad of Mulan,” existed for some time before that. While scholars do not know the author of the ballad or even whether Mulan was a real person, the brief narrative of “Ode of Mulan” does remain extant today. In it, readers are told the story of a young woman who disguises herself as a boy in order to join the army of the ruling khan in her father’s place. Mulan heads to war and survives for twelve years, winning great honor and eventually earning a place in the government of the khan himself. Rather than taking this position, however, Mulan declines and returns to her hometown, where she lives again as a woman in the company of her family. The poem is filled with rich images and deep emotions as the young woman risks her life and innocence in a cruel war, all motivated by the deep love and devotion she feels toward her father.

As the tale of Mulan has been told again and again through the modern day, it has become a favorite text for feminist scholars. Mulan is a powerful figure, a female warrior who excels above men and who rejects the lifestyle of military conflict and violence in order to live a peaceful existence with her family. While these details have made the story appealing to many modern audiences, the actuality of the original legend is more complicated. Mulan certainly defies stereotypes of gender roles and familial obligations, but she is also positioned at a complex intersection of loyalties. On the one hand, she feels obligated to risk everything in order to demonstrate devotion and loyalty to her father, who holds all the power in her patriarchal family. On the other, she is commanded by the khan—a cold and cruel figure, interested in warfare but not in the lives of his people—to enter into a bloody battle that robs her and thousands of others of their youth, if not their lives. In this context, the “Ode of Mulan” is primarily concerned with a critique of the culture of warfare prominent during the Northern Wei dynasty, all the while focusing on a character brave enough and wise enough to transcend the boundaries of her role in life, beginning to see the possibility of different worlds.

Summary

A girl named Mulan sits in her parent’s home, facing the door to the outside world as she weaves and sighs sadly to herself. Her sadness is not brought on by the typical concerns of young women, such as romantic heartbreak. Indeed, she cannot even think of romance, for the night before, she saw the scrolls recently posted around town announcing a draft for the army. The khan, in order to defend their land from outside invaders, needs a large number of troops, many more than are currently available. On every one of the twelve scrolls posted in the town, the name of Mulan’s father is listed. While most families can send a strong young son, Mulan’s father has only his daughters, a young boy, and a wife, and so he would have to go himself despite his elderly age. Mulan, thinking about this as she weaves, realizes she must purchase a horse and go in her father’s place, pretending to be a boy in order to meet the requirements of the khan’s decree.

“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?’”

Mulan heads immediately to the four markets of the town, buying a horse and the supplies needed to join the army. Wasting no more time, she leaves town and camps on the bank of the Yellow River. There, she sleeps to the sound of the rushing water, which is loud enough to block out the calls of her mother and father, who are begging her to return. The next morning, she travels to the Black Mountain; there, the neighing of the wild horses of Mount Yen is loud enough to block out the sounds of her parents, whom she loves as dearly as they love her.

Away from her family, Mulan joins the powerful army, pretending to be a man so that the other warriors will accept her. She travels thousands of miles, battling and waging war with the men of the army the entire time. She travels as quickly as the wind and seems to fly across the mountain as part of the fierce, ironclad army. The years pass this way, with Mulan taking part in many battles. While many generals and other fierce warriors die, she manages to stay alive, continually proving herself a strong warrior. Countless battles later, she is finally able to return home, one person among many men who have been changed by their many years away. First, however, she stops to visit the khan, called the “Son of Heaven,” in his Splendid Hall. Here, the leader of the state gives out favors and promotions to the powerful warriors who have defended his land. He raises people to positions of power and bestows upon them riches and gifts. When Mulan approaches, however, she declines the official government post that is offered to her, instead asking only for a fast horse that can take her to visit her family as quickly as possible.

Mulan’s family is thrilled to hear that she is returning. Her father and mother wait outside the wall to their home. Meanwhile, her elder sister fixes her makeup in order to look as nice as possible, while her younger brother, now older, readies his knife so that he can slaughter a pig and a sheep for a feast celebrating Mulan. When she comes home, she opens the doors of her room, takes off the clothing of war, and relaxes at last on her couch in her old attire. In almost no time at all, she transforms herself back into the beautiful young woman she was before the war. She fixes her hair so that it is as gorgeous and soft as a cloud and dabs the powder of a yellow flower on her face as makeup. Looking like this, she rises again and greets the soldiers who had fought beside her in the war, then passing by outside.

Her comrades, of course, are shocked to see Mulan. They had spent twelve years together, traveling across the mountains of China and battling fiercely, living in close quarters and sharing supplies, yet none had suspected that Mulan might actually be a woman. They ask Mulan to explain herself, and she simply says that just as a female rabbit and a male rabbit might appear different when resting beside one another, when they are running together in a blur of movement, no one would be able to tell which is a “he” and which a “she.” Likewise, Mulan, in the movement of battle, was indistinguishable from any man and certainly just as strong.

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