For those who don’t know, the tale of Mulan is more of a “legend” than a fairytale. Actually, the origins of Hua Mulan are not that of a regular story, but rather that of an ancient poem, known as “The Ballad of Mulan”.

In the ballad, one male from each family is called upon to serve in the Chinese army and Mulan decides to take her father’s place since he is old and weak. After twelve years of service she returns home, dresses like a girl again and when she meets up with her army buds, she gives them the fright of their life since they never guessed she was a woman in the whole 12 years they served together.

In the popular Disney film, Mulan joins the army in place of her father in a similar fashion to the original tale. In both stories they become great warriors, and that’s where many of the similarities end. The movie feature by Disney has her save the Emperor’s life, offered a role as an adviser which she refuses, and return home to her loving father and builds a loving romance with Li Shang.

In one of the historical Mulan stories, the romance titled “Sui Tang Yanyi”, published by Chu Renho in 1675, Mulan meets a rather sad fate, which is unusual and not seen in any of the other reincarnations of the Ballad.

The tragic ending of the original Mulan story, summoned to become a concubine, soon followed by death and suicide.

In the Sui Tang romance, Mulan was living under the rule of the Turkic khan. The Turkic Khan joined forces with Emperor Li Yuan. This allegiance required all families to send one male to war, so Mulan joined the military in the place of her father.

She was intercepted by Dou Jiande and eventually became great friends with the warrior princess Xianniang, the daughter of the king. Things turn sour when Dou Jiande betrays the Emperor, and in an act to spare the Emperor’s life, the Princess and Mulan present themselves to be executed in his place. This act of “filial piety” wins the Emperor's reprieve. Mulan is given money to provide for her family and the Princess is given wedding funds since she had promised herself to be engaged to the General.

When she returned home to greet her father and mother, she discovered that her father was long dead and that her mother had remarried. Furthermore, the Turkic khan had ordered Mulan to become a concubine in his palace. Rather than face the fate of becoming a concubine, Mulan decides to commit suicide. Her words were, "I'm a girl, I have been through war and have done enough. I now want to be with my father."

Before she committed suicide, she sent her little sister, Youran, to deliver Princess Xianniang’s letter her fiancé General, Luó Chéng.

The legend of Hua Mulan varies from dynasty to dynasty and the story as adapted from culture to culture but no matter the version the story still tells of a strong woman who loved her father and country so that she risked her life by becoming someone she was not and put her life on the line in war.