The Ballad of Mulan

About this story

The Ballad of Mulan (Mulan Ci) is an anonymous folk song from China's Northern Dynasties, usually dated to the 4th to 6th centuries AD, and it survives in Collected Yuefu Poems (Yuefu Shiji), an anthology compiled by Guo Maoqian in the Song dynasty. It tells of a girl who takes her old father's place when the Khan calls up soldiers, fights for twelve years, turns down a post at court, and comes home, where her comrades are amazed to learn she is a woman. This version follows the original ballad closely, scene by scene, not later stage or film versions; the few lines of dialogue are ours, and the family name Hua, which the ballad never gives, is left out.

Tips for telling it

• Say the four markets out loud like a chant, east, west, south, north, and let children join in; the ballad repeats on purpose, like a song.
• Pause just before the comrades see Mulan, and ask: what do you think they'll say?
• Older children can compare the ballad with versions they already know: what is in the old song, and what was added later?

Questions people ask

Is Mulan a real person?

There is no reliable historical record of her. Mulan is known from the Ballad of Mulan, an anonymous folk song of the Northern Dynasties, and although several places in China claim to be her hometown, historians treat her as a legendary heroine rather than a documented person.

What is the original story of Mulan?

In the original ballad, Mulan sees her old father's name on the Khan's army lists, buys a horse and gear at four markets, and goes to war in his place. She serves for twelve years, turns down a high post at court, asks only for a swift mount to carry her home, and puts her own clothes back on, and her comrades, who marched beside her all that time, never knew she was a woman.

Was Mulan's last name Hua?

The ballad never gives her family name. Later writers added one: the Ming-dynasty playwright Xu Wei called her Hua Mulan in his play The Female Mulan, and the name stuck.