Mu Lan: Chinese Folk Heroine

Mu Lan was a folk heroine of the Han Dynasty.  According to legend, she was an expert swordswoman and warrior who dressed as a boy and went to war in place of her elderly father, who was too sickly to fight.

Having no son, her father had trained her from childhood in the martial arts.

Disney’s animated film, “Mulan,” presents a version of this tale aimed at children.

The Disney Mulan, a young girl who doesn’t quite fit into her tradition-bound society, ends up saving all of China from an invading Hun army, led by a monstrous and ruthless Hun leader, Shan-Yu.

Along the way, she finds true love in the form of the courageous Captain Shang.

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