Accuracy of Chinese Culture in Mulan (1998)
Does the classic princess movie portray Chinese culture correctly, or is it still heavily influenced by euro-centric ideals?
The Disney Renaissance occurred during the 1990’s, and produced ten of Disney’s most beloved animated films. The era gave birth to four of the trademarked Disney Princesses. One of which was Mulan (1998), whose story is a retelling of Hua Mulan, a Chinese folklore character.
The movie follows the titular character, Mulan, as she runs away from home to join the army in defense against the Huns, a group looking to overtake China. In a time period where women weren’t allowed to fight, she chooses to hide her identity as a woman and pose as a man, to join the forces in the place of her elderly father. Accompanied by her cricket Cri-Kee, her dragon Mushu, and her gang of fellow soldiers, Mulan successfully defeats the Huns, saving all of China.
The character of Hua Mulan first appeared in the Chinese folklore song Ballad of Mulan, which was likely composed during the Northern Wei dynasty hundreds of years ago. Similar to the movie, Hua Mulan was a woman who dressed as a man to join her country’s military forces. She kept her identity hidden for years before returning home and revealing that she was a woman all along.
Besides its depiction of the original Chinese tale, Mulan includes a number of Chinese cultural references. Minor aspects of the movie are accurate to Chinese symbolism such as the cricket given to Mulan to grant her luck, which actually has roots in Chinese mythology. While he was intended as a funny side character, Mushu the dragon is fashioned after traditional Chinese dragons, which symbolize power, strength, wisdom, and good fortune.
However, some aspects of the movie are misrepresentative of Chinese culture. There are a few notable scenes, including when Mulan is being made-up as the “ideal woman” before being presented to the matchmaker, and the scene where the ancestors are gathered to discuss Mulan’s decision to join the army. The matchmaker scene is inaccurate to Chinese culture on the whole, though it does have accurate elements. Mulan’s make-up, for example, is exaggerated and blends looks/ practices from different dynasty eras. However, the idea of match-making and an “ideal wife” for a woman has been common throughout history.
The ancestor scene is also largely inaccurate, and heavily satirical and it’s unclear what religion Mulan’s family would practice, as Chinese citizens participate in a wide variety of religions and the prevailing cultural religion has changed throughout time. Vague themes like praying and honoring one’s ancestors are present in the film, though those ideas can be applied to most world religions. The inspiration, but not depiction, of the (likely) Buddhist religion is due to two reasons. First, Tony Bancroft, director of Mulan (1998) and a Christian man, went on record saying he wanted to keep the scene “light”, and “fun”, so he “didn’t give too much attention to Buddhist beliefs and history.” Secondly, Disney as a whole likely didn’t want to accurately represent the religion, or Chinese culture on the whole, to avoid alienating its Western audience, resulting in the film being mainly composed of “Orientalist” stereotypes.
