For those who don’t know the story, Mulan is a young woman who disguises herself as a man to substitute to her father to go to the war. A disguised woman among ruthless men, she demonstrates courage to defend her patrie and becomes a national hero.
An inspirational figure in Chinese culture, Hua Mulan is on its revival today. Mainland blockbuster Mulan (Hua Mulan) released on Nov 27 made RMB32 million (US$4.69 million) at the box office within three days, raising to number 2 at the box office after its opening weekend behind 2012. I dare to predict the movie an honorable success without watching it.
Why? Because the legend of Mulan stirs strong emotions for Chinese people :
x Piety. One of the most fundamental virtues of Chinese culture and Confucianism is “Piety” or Xiaozi (孝子), dictating one should honor his/her parents and ancestors. Mulan proves the ultimate devotion by braving danger and death. She goes through self-alienation when disguising herself and denying her woman identity, but she still obeys to a strong traditional rule. By obeying to that rule, she is forgiven for breaking others.
x Nationalism. China has always been keen on preserving its unity. Until today, nationalism is widely spread among the young generations (the ones going to the movies and surfing on the net). Mulan goes to war in substitute of her father. She is willing to protect her family’s honor and safety, travel to unknown territories threatened by foreign attacks and willing to sacrifice her life for her country. Moreover, the legend proves to be politically correct today as she also reflects the shift from women’s supporting role in Chinese traditional culture to communist era when women were given equal positions with men.
x Myth & Culture. A myth requires poetry, legend and mystification : Mulan appears for the first time in a Chinese poem named Ballad of Mulan around the 6th century. If the eponymic character has not been proven to be either fictional or historical, that doesn’t really matter as we tend to idealize more the undefined. The floating gender, a woman disguised as a man, also contributes to enhance the power of the myth : Mulan allies the qualities of a woman (she is soft, shy, said beautiful of course) and also the qualities of a man (courage, braveness, independant and rebellious spirit), thus desirable in the eyes of both genders.
I’d say it’s a good chance to understand better the Chinese culture and possibly to decypher the current socio-political trends. Pop-corn anyone?
