In China and Chinese-speaking regions, Mulan is virtually a synonym for ‘heroine’; in the United States, her name practically equals ‘the woman warrior’. With such popularity stretching across different cultures, as well as varied opinions and debates on authenticity, many people wonder what the real story is.

The original Mulan story is quite different from both Disney’s 1998 animated film and the new live-action movie. The earliest printed version of the story still in existence today was first featured in an anthology from the 12th century, known as the Ballad of Mulan. It’s a short poem thought to have originated as a folk tale in the fourth or fifth century because of references to the period, known as the Northern Wei dynasty, which lasted from the fourth through the early sixth centuries.

Mulan (“magnolia”) is a legendary character in Chinese literature who is best known in the modern day from the Disney filmed adaptations (1998, 2020 CE). Her story, however, about a young girl who takes her father's place in the army to help save her country, is hundreds of years old, most likely originating in the Northern Wei Period (386-535 CE) of China before it was developed by succeeding authors.