I'm sure everyone has heard of Mulan, if only because of the Disney animation. And Disney's even announcing a live-action remake in the vein of Cinderella 2015.
Recap of the original ballad:
Mulan is weaving at her window, worried about the fact that every family has to send a boy to join the country's army. Her father, who is pretty old, asks her what she's thinking about. "I'm fine," she answers, just like any other teenager. Then she goes to buy a horse and a saddle. And rides off to replace her father. (No marriage attempts so far!)
They fight in wars, almost everyone dies, and this is heartbreaking in the original but I can't translate it, so there. Needless to say, Mulan not only lives, but distinguishes herself in battle. (No grandiose saving-the-country, though.)
The emperor rewards Mulan with gold and a really important political position. In ancient China, all anyone cared about was getting damn political positions. Mulan turns it down and asks for a horse that travels a thousand miles per day. (This is also another biggie in ancient Chinese texts.) And of course, she goes home. CMOH.
Her parents and older sister come out to meet her, and she goes into her room and gets back in girls' clothes. Her army companions, who apparently escorted her home, are henceforth shocked. You mean we fought beside a girl for twelve friggin' years?
Yeah. That's literally it.
Why I desperately love it:
- It sounds beautiful. It can't be translated perfectly, but seriously, it flows in Chinese.
- Mulan survives a war that kills 99.9% of the army. That is kickass.
- Literally zero romance. Marriage woes? Nope. Hot warrior prince? Nope. Mulan just goes home.
- Amazing representation of Chinese values. Filial piety. Bravery. Patriotism. Loyalty.
I love it so much that in my novel set in pseudo-China, Mulan still exists, albeit under a slightly different name. Hell, one of my MCs' storylines is an adaptation of this ballad.
The live-action adaptation, I'm guessing, will still be adapting from the animation. And I fully acknowledge that it's impossible to make a two-hour movie just out of two pages of ancient Chinese text, but the starkness of this folk tale is what makes it beautiful. The animation doesn't quite do it justice.
What I'm really saying is: appreciate the storyline that's not dramatised for Disney. Mulan is, very simply, the story of a girl who left home and made it back. (Tweet this!)
What I'm really saying is: appreciate the storyline that's not dramatised for Disney. Mulan is, very simply, the story of a girl who left home and made it back. (Tweet this!)
What are your prerequisites for a translation or adaptation? Thoughts on Mulan and its film versions?
ETA: I've written a direct Chinese-to-English Mulan translation in iambic tetrameter. Join my takeout army and start reading right away!
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