Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior

Written by Faye-Lynn Wu and illustrated by Joy Ang, the children’s picture book Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior is an inspiring tale of courage, resilience and empowerment that will resonate with today’s readers. This adaptation of a traditional folktale, retold for a young audience, will appeal to readers with its engaging plot, vivid illustrations, and the positive message that it conveys about being determined, resilient, and motivated to achieve one’s goals. More broadly, Wu’s book is a valuable contribution to the representation of cultural diversity in Canadian children’s literature and the growing body of work about the Chinese community.

Given the book’s subject matter, two important considerations for understanding this book’s significance are the history surrounding the representation of Mulan and Asian communities in North American mainstream media and popular culture. In mainstream popular culture, the traditional Chinese folktale about Mulan has become well-known among Western audiences through Disney’s 1998 animated movie, Mulan. At the time, the movie was considered groundbreaking because it featured an Asian female protagonist, something that had not been seen frequently in American movies up to that point. However, the movie has been criticized for its misrepresentations of traditional Chinese culture and values, as well as for its Americanization of the Chinese folktale so that it would be more understandable and attractive for Western audiences. For example, one particular criticism was how the Disney movie portrayed Mulan’s motivations for joining the army. Some critics felt that the movie deviated from the original folktale because it represented Mulan as someone who was trying to break away from a patriarchal society and its limitations upon women, rather than as someone who was devoted to serving her country and making her family proud. The popularity of this story can be seen today through the planned production of a live-action movie of Mulan which is scheduled to come out in the spring of 2020.

In terms of popular representations of Asian communities, a recurring criticism is how they have been reduced to stereotypical and simplistic characters that do not reflect the diversity and complexity of the communities from which they have originated. In particular, a history of misrepresentation around cultural minorities has occurred in both Canada and the United States. One prominent image circulated in the media was the representation of Chinese immigrants as the Yellow Peril whose presence threatened the existence of North American society. As a result, the Chinese community was portrayed as a foreign group who did not belong in North America and whose physical appearance, cultural traditions, and values were at odds with Western society.

In this respect, Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior resists such an interpretation of the Chinese community by portraying Mulan and the Chinese cultural context in a positive and realistic manner, a portrayal which also corresponds with how Mulan is represented in the original Chinese folktale. The book avoids falling into gender and racialized stereotypes that have been perpetuated historically around Chinese culture, such as the submissive Chinese woman or the exotic Other. Instead, Mulan is depicted as a strong-willed woman who is recognized for her heroic achievements in battle, not because she is a woman, but in spite of being a woman.

The traditional Chinese folktale about Mulan, which Wu draws upon to create her story, is estimated to have been written in the 5th or 6th century. The plot, itself, is fairly straightforward and sets things up at the beginning by mentioning that Mulan is a “smart and strong-willed girl” who resided in a village in a northern China. When all men in China are summoned to the army, Mulan decides to serve in her father’s place instead so that he, being ill, does not have to go. Over the course of 12 years, Mulan fights courageously alongside her comrades and rises through the ranks to become a commander. For her exemplary service, Mulan receives treasure as well as the emperor’s offer of an appointment to the high court, but she expresses her desire to simply return home instead. Having her wish granted, she goes home and returns to the life that she has once lived as a woman. During Mulan’s time in the army, her comrades did not suspect that she was a woman, but she revealed this to them when she returned home.

The story’s language is appropriate for the intended readers who will also find the evocative and atmospheric illustrations to be attractive. The illustrations complement the story effectively by enhancing the action and emotional impact at specific points. For example, when Mulan fights in battle, the two-page spread includes a dark red backdrop on which readers can see other soldiers fighting in the background, thereby evoking an atmosphere of conflict and war. Enhancing the dramatic effect, the picture’s foreground shows Mulan fighting an enemy solder and hacking through his axe. Another example of how the illustrations dramatize the story’s action occurs when Mulan and her fellow soldiers are making their way through a heavy snowstorm. The illustration portrays Mulan at the front of a long line of solders and dramatizes the intensity of the snowstorm by depicting a strong wind, flurries, and thick snow on the ground. Readers can also see how the line of soldiers stretches far back and, due to the reduced visibility, fades into the distance.

The illustrations also contribute to the story’s emotional impact at important moments. For example, one page, depicting a huge close-up of Mulan’s face with an image of her parents on her forehead, is paired with the part of the plot when Mulan dreams about her parents and misses them. As such, the illustration provides insight into Mulan’s psychological condition and reveals the persistence of her family’s presence in her mind even as she is far away from home. Another example is shown when Mulan returns home and reveals that she is a woman to her fellow soldiers. Ang focuses the readers’ attention on the soldiers’ reactions by showing their faces but not Mulan’s.

One possible criticism of this book is that it does not provide sufficient insight into Mulan’s psyche and motivations for joining the army or develop Mulan’s characterization as a complex individual. However, since this is a picture book, there is limited space for extensive character development. In addition, the folktale, itself, does not deal extensively with these aspects either, and so Wu’s adaptation is reflective of what appears in the original folktale.

The last two pages in the book contain “The Ballad of Mulan” in Chinese, but there is no English translation to accompany it. A translation would have been useful for readers who cannot read the language because it would have provided a valuable supplement to the picture book and help to contextualize what they are reading.

Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior will be a good addition to elementary school libraries as well as university and college libraries that wish to increase the cultural diversity of their literary collection or their holdings that are devoted to folktales. In the classroom, this book can be included as part of a literature unit, such as a unit on folktales or Chinese culture. At the college or university level, this book could be included in a children’s literature course.
Originally from Calgary, illustrator Joy Ang is currently based in Seattle. She has illustrated several children’s picture books and has also worked on comics and television animation. More information on her work can be found here.

Author Faye-Lynn Wu comes from Taiwan and now lives in California where she currently teaches Mandarin in an elementary school. Wu is also the author of My First Book of Chinese Words: An ABC Rhyming Book, which introduces children to the Chinese language through rhymes and imagery, as well as books that introduce children to classic nursery rhymes in English and Chinese, including Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes: Little Mouse and Other Charming Chinese Rhymes and Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes: Share and Sing in Two Languages.