The Ballad of Mulan is a feature-length narrative poem epic by an anonymous woman poet
in the Northern Wei (386-534) in the Northern Dynasties Period (386-581) in
The Northern Dynasties in China were
characterized by fighting among different nomadic tribes in North China and
their invasion, dominance and rule over indigenous Chinese Han people. The poem
tells the story of Mulan, the legendary heroine, who went into the draft of the
Khan in his father's place, fought the invaders courageously, and returned home
triumphant. Her comrades did not know the warrior was a woman for all their
years on the battlefield, and were totally shocked when back at her village, she
finally appeared in her lady's clothes and looks.
The poem is composed in the song form of
Yuefu. This style was derived from folk songs, often narrative poems
accompanied by music. The legend of Mulan was the subject of subsequent literary
works. It was developed into a novel during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Mulan also became the heroine of a play by Xu Wei, who called her Hua Mulan.
The Ballad of Mulan eulogizes the industry and goodness of the lady, her enthusiasm to protect
the nation, as well as her graceful bearing. It not only shows the widespread
warlike ethos, but also demonstrates the chaos caused by continuous wars, and
people's yearning for peaceful and stable life. The work boasts special features
in terms of expressing the clou and artistic techniques, having far-reaching
influence on the later generations.
The story of Mulan has been deep rooted in
people's mind and is popular far and wide. It is recorded in historical
documents that in Huanggang County of Huangzhou (present-day Huanggang of Hubei
Province), there was the Mulan Mountain, Mulan County and the Mulan Temple. In
today's Boxian County of Anhui Province, Shangqiu of Henan Province, Wanxian
County of Hebei Province and other places, there were once temples to fete
Mulan. Even today, the image of Mulan on the stage still inspires people with
her patriotic sentiment.