Mulan
Mulan
Mu Lan has been an example for Chinese women in Chinese history. The Mu Lan family name was Wei. She was born in the Sui dynasty, at Xiaowei village,Yucheng town, Henan province, China. In Chinese history people call her Huan Mulan. Mulan’s family had three children. Mulan was the second child, she had an older sister and a younger brother.
Mulan’s father was a soldier and he was Mulan’s mentor. Mulam learned Wushu, the art of war, when she was very young from her father. When she grew up, she had outstanding Wushu skills.
At that time, the Sui dynasty was at war and recruiting soldiers. Mulan’s father must be recruited because of his military skills. But her father was old and Mulan worried about his health. The younger brother was too young. So she thought, “I am girl, but I am good at Wushu, why do I not change into boy’s dress and replace father”. She told the family her decision. At first they were shocked, but in the end they decided that Mulan was right and agreed. She was just 16 years old.
However, another obstacle was that a marriage had just been arranged with a young man who’s name was Ming Yue. When Ming Yue’s family heard that she was going to be a soldier, they felt this was not right. But they respected Mulan’s filial devotion, and they agreed too. Mulan worried that she didn’t know what time she can go back, or even whether she can keep her life or not. So she told Ming Yue that he can choose another girl to become his wife, “not wait for me”. Ming Yue said, “I wait for you”.
In that time both the men and women had long hair. How they styled the hair was different. Mulan changed herself to look like a man. She went to Songzhou to bear arms under Marshal He. She was very good at Wushu, and also looked good, so the Marshal liked her a lot. He soon took her under his protection and made her an advisor. This would mean very close contact and risk of discovery. Mulan told Marshal He she didn’t like to live with another person. She can’t sleep well. Marshal He agreed that she could live by herself in a small tent.
Marshal He’s first war was against the Hu. The Hu launched a sneak attack against Marshal He and couldn’t retreat. Mulan herself defended Marshal He and let him get safely back. From this time Marshal He was in admiration of Mulan, and appointed her as first General.
Mulan won many battles and after two years, Sui won. The emperor was very happy and called in all the Generals. Marshal He told the emperor that Mulan was the best one. The Emperor promoted Mulan to became Shangshu (just like second premier). Mulan had to met the emperor personally. This created a dilemma, since she could not deceive the Emperor, so she honesty told him that she is a girl. For impersonating a man, she could have been executed. She told the Emperor that she, just for her father, became a soldier. That she doesn’t want anything. She only would like to go home and look after her parents. The Emperor agreed.
However, after short time, the Emperor wanted another concubine. Marshal He wanted Mulan to have a good life, so with a good heart, he told the Emperor that Mulan was the right person. The emperor remembered that Mulan is young and beautiful, so he decreed that Mulan come to Changan ( the emperor’s Palace ) to become his concubine. Mulan was very sad. If she doesn’t obey the Emperor, her whole family will be killed. If she obeyed, how about her fiancée Ming Yue?
So Mulan hanged herself and died.
Marshal He was very sad, blaming himself for her death.
People who heard the story respected Mulan. So they wrote a lot about Mulan. Many poems were written. One very famous one is from the Bei Song dynasty. Guo Maoqian wrote “ Mulan Ci”. Even now in Chinese primary schools it is still used for a Chinese text book.
In the Tang dynasty, Emperor Li Shiming was greatly affected by the Mulan story. He commemorated Mulan by building a temple in her name. From that time, Chinese lunar calendar 8th of April, is celebrated as Mulan’s birthday. People from all over to Mulan’s temple to offer their respects and pray to her.
Hua Mulan (花木蘭) is a heroine who joined an all-male army, described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan (木蘭辭). The poem was first written in the Musical Records of Old and New (古今樂錄) from the 6th century, the century before the founding of the Tang Dynasty; the original work no longer exists, and the original text of this poem comes from another work known as the Music Bureau Collection (樂府詩), an anthology of lyrics, songs, and poems, compiled by Guo Maoqian (郭茂倩) during the 12th century. The author explicitly mentions the Musical Records of Old and New as his source for the poem. Whether she was a historical person or whether the poem was an allegory has been debated for centuries — it is unknown whether the story has any factual basis. (Wikipedia)
The word "mulan" refers to the "Magnolia liliiflora". ("mù" by itself means "wood" and "lán" means "orchid".) The heroine of the poem is given many different family names in the various versions of her story. According to "History of the Ming", her family name is Zhu, while the "History of the Qing" say it is Wei. The Ballad of Mulan doesn't give her family name. The Ming scholar Xu Wei offers yet another alternative when, in his play, he gives her the family name "Huā" (meaning "flower"). This latter name has become the most popular in recent years in part to its more poetic meaning. Her complete name is then 花木蘭, transcribed as Huā Mùlán in Pinyin.
Oil painting on silk, "Hua Mulan Goes to War"
Ode to Mulan
木蘭辭
唧唧復唧唧 Ji-ji, again ji-ji,
木蘭當戶織 Mulan faces the door, weaving.
不聞機杼聲 You can't hear the sound of the loom's shuttle,
唯聞女嘆息 You only hear Daughter's sighs.
問女何所思 They ask Daughter who's in her thought,
問女何所憶 They ask Daughter who's on her memory.
女亦無所思 "No one is on Daughter's thought,
女亦無所憶 No one is on Daughter's memory.
昨夜見軍帖 Last night I saw the army notices,
可汗大點兵 The Khan* is calling for a great force.
軍書十二卷 The army register is in twelve scrolls,
卷卷有爺名 and every scrolls has Father's name.
阿爺無大兒 Father has no adult son,
木蘭無長兄 Mulan has no older brother.
愿為市鞍馬 Wish to buy a saddle and horse,
從此替爺征 and serve in Father's place."
東市買駿馬 In the East Market she buys a steed,
西市買鞍韉 In the West Market she buys a saddle and saddle blanket,
南市買轡頭 In the South Market she buys a bridle,
北市買長鞭 In the North Market she buys a long whip.
朝辭爺娘去 At dawn she bids farewell to Father and Mother,
暮宿黃河邊 In the evening she camps on the bank of the Yellow River.
不聞爺娘喚女聲 She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling for Daughter,
但聞黃河流水鳴濺濺 She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry jian-jian.
旦辭黃河去 At dawn she bids farewell to the Yellow River,
暮至黑山頭 In the evening she arrives at the summit of Black Mountain.
不聞爺娘喚女聲 She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling for Daughter,
但聞燕山胡騎聲啾啾 She only hears Mount Yan's nomad horses cry jiu-jiu.
萬里赴戎機 She goes ten thousand miles in the war machine,
關山度若飛 She crosses mountain passes as if flying.
朔氣傳金柝 Northern gusts carry sound of army rattles,
寒光照鐵衣 Cold light shines on iron armor.
將軍百戰死 Generals die in a hundred battles,
壯士十年歸 Strong warriors return after ten years.
歸來見天子 On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
天子坐明堂 The Son of Heaven sits in the ceremonial hall.
策勛十二轉 Merits are recorded in twelve ranks
賞賜百千強 And grants a hundred thousand strong.
可汗問所欲 The Khan asks her what she desires.
木蘭不用尚書郎 Mulan has no use for a high official's post.
愿借明駝千里足 I wish to borrow a ten-thousand mile camel
送兒還故鄉 To take me back home."
爺娘聞女來 Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
出郭相扶將 They go outside the city wall, supporting each other.
阿姊聞妹來 When Older Sister hears Younger Sister is coming
當戶理紅妝 Facing the door, she puts on rouge.
小弟聞姊來 When Little Brother hears Older Sister is coming
磨刀霍霍向豬羊 He sharpens the knife, quick, quick, for pig and sheep.
開我東閣門 I open the door to my east room,
坐我西閣床 I sit on my bed in the west room,
脫我戰時袍 "I take off my wartime gown
著我舊時裳 And put on my old-time clothes."
當窗理云鬢 Facing the window she fixes the cloudlike hair on her temples,
對鏡貼花黃 Facing a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder
出門看火伴 She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
火伴皆驚惶 Her comrades are all shocked.
同行十二年 Traveling together for twelve years
不知木蘭是女郎 They didn't know Mulan was a girl.
雄兔腳扑朔 The male rabbit's feet kick up and down,
雌兔眼迷離 The female rabbit's eyes are bewildered.
兩兔傍地， Two rabbits running close to the ground,
安能辨我是雄雌 How can they tell if I am male or female?"
* The Emperor ("Son of Heaven") is also referred to as a "Khan", which was a title used by some Altaic-speaking peoples in ancient China. The rulers of the Northern Wei were of the Xianbei ethnicity. The reference to the Khan may also reflect the date of the poem, rather than the date at which the story is set.
The Movie
Directed by Jingle Ma (Butterfly Lovers), the historical action epic Mulan earned its place in the 2009 year-end lineup of Chinese blockbusters with its adrenaline-pumping war scenes and strong star power. After her turn as a willful warrior princess in Red Cliff, Vicki Zhao gender bends again as eponymous folk heroine Hua Mulan, the filial daughter who famously adopted male guise to take her elderly father's place in the battlefield. Defying her father's wishes, Mulan risks death to answer the conscription call in his stead. Faced with the dangers and heartaches of war, Mulan grows into a great warrior and general while working hard to keep her true identity a secret. The legend of Mulan has been adapted into numerous small and big screen productions including a Disney movie.
Aloys Chen, with whom Zhao paired in Painted Skin, plays the general who develops a strong camaraderie and ambiguous romance with Mulan. Hu Jun is charismatically over the top as the ruthless leader of the enemy army, and Jaycee Chan plays a free-spirited soldier. The unique supporting cast also includes Yu Rong Guang (Iron Monkey), CJ7 child actress Xu Jiao, Korean-American Mando-pop singer Nicky Lee, and Russian singer Vitas. Stephen Tung Wai provides the action direction for the film's impressive battle and combat scenes.
Blu-ray Edition comes with 107 minutes of English-subtitled special features including making of, music video, director and cast interview, unreleased scenes, and trailer.
'jiang gu shi'
讲故事
Storyteller
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