Origins

“The Legend of the White Snake” is one of China’s most beloved folk tales, with origins tracing back more than a thousand years. Over the centuries, it has been passed down through many different formats, including operas, literary adaptations, and movies, changing slightly with each retelling to suit the climate of the times. The story mostly revolves around the romance between Bai Suzhen, a mystical white snake that can take the form of a beautiful woman, and Xu Xian, an ordinary mortal man. Their love faces severe trials, mostly from the Buddhist monk Fa Hai, who considers the relationship between a supernatural being and a human unnatural and totally unacceptable. Universal themes such as love, morality, transformation, and societal expectations make the narrative deeply relatable to a wide range of audiences.

The original tale, especially in its earliest forms, strongly promoted rigid Buddhist values, emphasizing morality through clear distinctions between good and evil, natural and supernatural. In these traditional versions, Fa Hai is portrayed positively as a righteous guardian of morality. He fiercely condemned unorthodox relationships and female sexuality, which were perceived as threatening societal stability / religious purity. Bai Suzhen, despite her sincere love for Xu Xian, mostly served as a cautionary figure representing feminine seduction and transgression. This rigid moral stance reflected Buddhism’s strong influence during the period, reinforcing traditional gender norms and discouraging boundary-crossing relationships.

_{Painting from the Summer Palace in Beijing depicting the legend}

Modern Retelling

One particularly compelling global adaptation of this traditional narrative is the 2019 animated film “White Snake” produced by Light Chaser Animation Studios. The film follows Blanca, a white snake spirit that can take human form, as she embarks on a mission to stop a powerful Taoist general from achieving immortality at the cost of countless snake lives. During the failed mission, she loses her memory and is rescued by a kindhearted young man named Ah Xuan, who happens to be a snake-catcher. As Blanca searches for clues about her identity and the world around her, a romance arises between them. However, their love is soon tested by forces from both the human and supernatural realms. Unlike many traditional adaptations that focus on moral and ethical dilemmas, this film explores identity struggles, power dynamics, and self realization. Set as a prequel, the film gives much more depth to Bai Suzhen’s story by showcasing her life before her famous relationship with Xu Xian, providing new contexts and layers to the age-old tale.

_{Promotional image for White Snake movie}

Blanca’s amnesia following her failed mission serves as a powerful narrative device, emphasizing questions of personal identity, free will, and the exploration of one’s true self. Her memory loss resets her understanding of the world as well as herself. It removes any preconceived notions of allegiance, morality, and purpose that she may have accumulated. Through Blanca’s eyes, we see a gradual reconstruction of who she is. Her amnesia is a vehicle for transformation. By forgetting who she was, Blanca is able to become someone new, someone who questions authority, feels empathy for humans, and reconsiders her previous mission. This invites viewers to think about how identity is shaped not only by memory, but also by the choices we make everyday, choices which can be free of the road we have traveled thus far. It may make audiences reconsider the momentum of their own lives and decide to rethink what is truly important to them.

_{White Snake movie trailer}

The film empowers Blanca through a far more nuanced character development, aligning with modern perspectives on agency and female empowerment. Traditionally, Bai Suzhen was  portrayed as a passive figure whose destiny was controlled by the oppressive interventions of Fa Hai. However, “White Snake” portrays Blanca as a powerful and proactive character, someone who actively shapes her destiny through her choices. By confronting oppressive structures, Blanca’s character emphasizes personal autonomy and resistance against oppression, a huge deviation from her original portrayal as a two-dimension vixen that must be vanquished by religious and moral authority.

Another stark difference is the treatment of religious authority figures like Fa Hai. In the traditional version, Fa Hai represents a kind of unquestionable moral authority, backed by Buddhism and the social order it reinforces. In “White Snake,” however, this type of rigid authority is absent, replaced instead by more nuanced questions about who holds power and why. This reflects broader cultural changes, as where the old story emphasized obedience and conformity, the new version emphasizes choice, complexity, and resistance to dogma. It reflects a modern sensibility where people are much more questioning of power structures in society, both religious and governmental. 

Ultimately, the 2019 animated adaptation “White Snake” revitalizes “The Legend of the White Snake” by transforming it from cautionary folklore (and potentially Buddhist propaganda) into a profound exploration of identity, choice, and empowerment. By expanding traditional narrative boundaries and using visually captivating storytelling, the film introduces timeless Chinese folklore to global audiences. It shows how ancient stories can evolve to maintain relevance, delivering enduring messages that resonate deeply across different cultures and generations.

The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese folktale that has adapted over the centuries from oral storytelling to peking opera to animation. At it’s core the legend retells a story of love between Bai Suzhen(the white snake), a powerful snake spirit, and Xu Xian, a kind-hearted scholar. However a monk named Fahai sees Bai Suzhen as an evil spirit and gets in between them showing Xu Xian her true form which drives the conflict in the story. While the story has changed its meaning many times through the centuries, in more recent times it is a tragic love story that has themes of compassion, devotion and love.

In the older versions of the legend this conflict between Bai Suzhen and Fahai leads to a fight where Bai Suzhen fights for Xu Xian and their love while Fahai is against this due to his spirituality and his mindset that humans and spirits cannot mingle with each other. This leads to the tragedy that is brought up earlier as Bai Suzhen cannot overcome Fahai’s spirituality and is imprisoned under the Leifeng Pagoda forever. This story in older times was retold this way to teach against the breaking of social norms which disrupts Confucius harmony. Confucianism was very important and therefore the story adapted this way.

However, in more recent times the story adapts to show Bai Suzhen’s triumph against Fahai. As Confucian values were slowly fading out, many more modern ideas of love and devotion allowed the story to undergo change again which is seen in many modern adaptations and especially in the animation industry in one notable global retelling, Hakujaden or the White Snake Enchantress.

Hakujaden(1958): Animating for the First Time

Hakujaden(1958), was one of the first full-length colors anime films retelling this legend. It was produced by Toei Animation and tells the story of Bai-Niang and Xu Xian. The story, while keeping the original message the same, is met with many new changes. Xu Xian is a kind-hearted boy who befriends a mysterious White Snake. Eventually, once older the white snake has turned into this beautiful women named Bai-Niang, a version of Bai Suzhen. A similar conflict arises as Fahai sees Bai-Niang as a threat to natural order and attempts to separate the couple. However, in the end Bai-Niang gives up her powers to remain in human form to prove her love for Xu Xian transforming the story into a fairytale ending.

Emphasis on Romance

While many versions of the White Snake legend delve into supernatural and moral dilemma’s, Hakujaden narrows its focus on the romance between Bai-Niang(Bai Suzhen) and Xu Xian. They both become the central pillar of the film, with the animation devoting a substantial amount of time to their blossoming love for each other. Their longing and love for each other drives the plot, creating a warm, hopeful atmosphere that contrasts with older tellings’ heavier themes.

By adding this blossoming love at the start of the film, even as Fahai attempts to separate Xu Xian and Bai-Niang, the film is able to keep it’s fairy-tale charm. Instead of exploring the weight of cosmic law or morality, the film highlights compassion, devotion, and the obstacles keeping the couple apart. In the end Bai-Niang gives up her powers to revive Xu Xian. Fahai seeing this stops his fight against Bai-Niang as the two lovers are reunited and everyone including Fahai bids them farewell. By emphasizing gentle affection and simplicity, Hakujaden reshapes the legend into a story of love’s triumph, making it feel more like a fairy tale than a spiritual legend. This approach is aligned well with a broader trend of many stories of the time which often highlights the triumph of love no matter the cause.

Side Characters and Comic Relief

One of the most notable shifts from older versions of the legend is the introduction of lighthearted side characters in Hakujaden. Among them are cute pandas and other animals who inject humorous interludes throughout the story, softening moments of conflict or tension. In older Chinese versions, however, this “supporting role” often fell to Xiao Qing, the Green Snake. Xiao Qing was another snake spirit who served as Bai Suzhen’s loyal confidant. She is another example of evolution of the story as her role ranges widely from loyal confidante to sometimes even a rebellious figure. However, in Hakujaden, Xiao Qing is relegated to a less important role but she still is a close friend of Bai-Niang. In older telling’s, rather than providing simple comic relief, Xiao Qing frequently employed her wit and magic to protect Bai Suzhen, emphasizing the shared bond and determination between the two spirits. Hakujaden, by contrast, opts for playful animal companions to heighten the film’s family-friendly appeal. This comedic pivot ensures that heavier themes do not overwhelm the viewer, preserving the adaptation’s warm, fairy-tale tone.

Artistic Style, Animation Techniques, and Global Retelling

A defining feature of Hakujaden is its pioneering role in Japanese animation, highlighting the remarkable creative decisions made by Toei Animation. Released in 1958, it was one of the first full-length color anime films, which was a significant achievement when animators still had to hand-paint every frame. This intensive production process yielded a vibrant, painted look that stands apart from the more traditional retellings of the White Snake legend—such as Peking Opera, which usually has bold costumes and striking makeup.

Hakujaden on the other hand uses softer colors and pastel tones, which give the film an almost dreamlike setting. The gentle color scheme captures the serene West Lake setting. This builds on the fairytale tone allowing the animation to reinterpret the story as a romantic love story where love beats all rather than a more dreary tragic love story that it used to be interpreted as. Instead of the dramatic theater someone might expect from opera, the film employs soft painted animation to focus to the power of love rather than heavier spiritual themes. Through this visually appealing style, Hakujaden not only reintroduces an old Chinese story to a newer, younger audience but also reinterprets it with a more modern lens. The result bridges cultural contexts, presenting the legend as a hopeful romantic tale that emphasizes the themes of love, devotion, and transformation.

Full version of Hakujaden:

Journey to the West: The Original Work

game cover

Black Myth: Wukong is adapted from Journey to the West, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. Sun Wukong is the most popular character in the original story. In the novel, Sun Wukong is born from a divine stone on Huaguo Mountain and, from the moment of his birth, demonstrates a spirit and courage unlike ordinary monkeys. He learns the 72 Transformations and the Somersault Cloud under Bodhi Patriarch. After returning from his training, dissatisfied with the position assigned to him by the Heavenly Court and driven by his own arrogance, he rebels against Heaven, only to be subdued by the Buddha and imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain. Five hundred years later, Tang Sanzang rescues him, places a tightening headband on him, and together they set out to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West. Throughout their journey, they vanquish demons and monsters. Once the pilgrimage is completed, Sun Wukong attains Buddhahood and undergoes a transformation from a stubborn rebel to an enlightened figure. He is beloved not only because he wields enormous magical power but also because, during the journey, his personality shifts from arrogant and capricious to responsible and mature—ultimately completing his own redemption. This theme of self-redemption is very well-received in China; there is even an idiom, “A prodigal son’s return is priceless,” which means that if someone strays from the right path but later awakens and repents, he can still be considered a good person.

Achievements and Influence of Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong, as a game adapted from Journey to the West, has achieved enormous commercial success. As of January 11, 2025, Black Myth: Wukong has sold 28 million copies—an achievement no Chinese single-player game had ever reached before. It also broke the nearly decade-long drought of AAA games in China. (A AAA game is a high-budget, high-investment single-player title developed by a top-tier team using advanced technology.) After Black Myth: Wukong’s success, many other single-player games—such as Shadow Blade Zero, Lost Song, and Ming Dynasty Abyss: The Feathers—sprang up like mushrooms after the rain. Thus, Black Myth: Wukong is not merely a commercial success; it has also validated a successful path for the Chinese AAA game industry. The question remains: is its success mainly due to the enthusiastic support of domestic Chinese fans, or is it the result of its excellent game content?

game promotional image

Origins

Before the emergence of Black Myth: Wukong, the AAA category was largely dominated by Western and Japanese game companies. This was not because Chinese game companies lacked technology or funding—note that both Tencent, the highest-grossing game company in the world, and NetEase, the fifth highest-grossing, are from China. However, they were reluctant to enter the AAA space. On one hand, single-purchase AAA games have a lower profit margin than online games that thrive on continuous consumer spending; on the other hand, no Chinese company had found success in this genre for almost a decade. Thus, despite having the world’s most profitable gaming companies and the largest market, China’s AAA sector was practically empty. Among Chinese gamers, a phrase circulated: “China has no AAA.” This reflected both the awkward state of the Chinese AAA game industry and players’ hopes for a homegrown AAA title.

On August 20, 2020, a small and previously unknown studio called Game Science released the first gameplay demo of Black Myth: Wukong. Though no one had heard of the company at that time, the familiar figure of Sun Wukong—alongside advanced graphics and dazzling combat sequences—instantly caused a sensation on the internet. The video rapidly exceeded ten million views on Chinese streaming sites, and by 2024, that figure had grown to 58 million.

The Game’s Release – Meeting Expectations

Although the trailer proved highly effective for publicity, many game review companies and independent media content creators suspected that the footage might be exaggerated or even falsified. All doubts, however, disappeared upon the game’s release. Black Myth: Wukong surpassed even the trailer’s visuals and offered a large number of boss fights, winning over players.

Cultural Promotion

Black Myth: Wukong not only excels in gameplay but also makes a remarkable contribution to promoting traditional Chinese culture. Every monster in the game—be it a minor, unnamed demon—has its own background story. These stories are written in ancient Chinese (wenyanwen), preserving a significant amount of ancient linguistic art. This is challenging even for many Chinese players to fully understand, yet the mystery has driven many Western players to explore the original Journey to the West and attempt to interpret its meaning.

example of background story with wenyanwen

Additionally, the game is packed with elements of Chinese painting, classical gardens, and Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Many scenes are recreation of ancient architectures : developers used specialized equipment to replicate the real-life architecture into the game.

comparison between game scene and reallife architecture

At the end of each chapter, players receive an animated short film and an interactive mural scroll.
Such applications of historical and Chinese cultural elements in the game have sparked a keen interest in Eastern culture among numerous Western players, many of whom have begun learning about Journey to the West and Buddhist culture on their own.

animated film from chapter one

Adapted Story

Unlike the original Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong tells a story set after Sun Wukong has already become a Buddha. Having been conferred Buddhahood, he longs for a free life, voluntarily relinquishes his status, and returns to a reclusive existence. However, the Heavenly gods do not permit this, and they massacre his brethren on Huaguo Mountain. Enraged, Sun Wukong wages war against Heaven and is ultimately killed. His body is torn into six artifacts. The protagonist of Black Myth: Wukong is a nameless little monkey from Huaguo Mountain whose mission is to gather these artifacts and resurrect him. In the finale, Sun Wukong is revived, casts off the tightening headband, and at last gains his freedom.

Whereas in the original story he repents and joins the ostensibly righteous Buddhist order, this version focuses more on Sun Wukong’s own will and pursuit of freedom, which aligns more with modern notions emphasizing free will. The game also incorporates various modern elements. For example, the design of the white bone spirit’s fourth sister caters to contemporary gamer aesthetics, and the game portrays Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) as being in a relationship with the Spider, devoting significant narrative space to their love story, which players find moving. Although some traditionalists criticize these changes as distorting the original content and central themes, it cannot be denied that the game respects history in many ways—such as faithfully recreating the ancient architecture and retaining the ancient Chinese language—and its modern touch has led to major success, making this story known to tens of millions of gamers worldwide.

animated film from chapter four about Bajie’s love story

The Impact of Black Myth: Wukong

From a commercial perspective, Black Myth: Wukong earned profits several times over its development costs. Culturally, it aroused the curiosity of tens of millions of players around the world about traditional Chinese fantasy novels. For the industry, it became an enlightening example for the next decade of Chinese AAA game development. Though controversial, Black Myth: Wukong still stands as a romantic “love letter” from Game Science (its developers) to Chinese gamers.

The story of Mulan had origins far past the most recent mainstream retelling from Disney’s Mulan (2020). Although there is debate whether the story of Mulan is a true story, recent historians suggest she was not. The story of Mulan started with a poem dating far back between the 4th and 6th centuries.

Guo Maoqian created this compilation of poetry somewhere between 960 and 1279 CE. The poem found above originated well before this time, but the lack of physical writing made this version the oldest surviving copy.

The Origins

As seen in the poem, the original story follows Mulan as she volunteers for her father, who is called into battle. The emperor in the story is referred to as “Khan” (also could be called Kehan or Kaghan). Many scholars assert that this early story had roots in the Northern Wei dynasty and that Mulan must have been from the nomadic society called the Tuoba.

The Tuoba clan were a group of Xianbei people who travelled from northern China, and historians argue women held respect in the society as the story was named after the heroine. This Northern Wei dynasty was sandwiched between the turbulent Han dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) fall and the rise of the Sui dynasty (589-618 CE). The Northern Wei dynasty had Turkish influence, which caused significant changes in the previous Han Chinese people. The Northern Wei dynasty led to the synthesis of two unique cultures that produced new music and poetry. Much of this new art portrayed the independence and strength of the northern women. One interesting note is that although Mulan translates to “Mongolia” in Chinese, recent evidence points to the Turkish influence on language, pointing to “Mulan” being a masculine name at the time. This lent to Mulan’s ability, in the poem, to hide her gender, as evidenced by the final lines.

“The
he‑hare’s
feet
go
hop
and
skip,
The
she‑hare’s
eyes
are
muddled
and
fuddled.
Two
hares
running
side
by
side
close
to
the
ground,
How
can
they
tell
if
I
am
he
or
she?”

The Poem’s Simplicity

Mulan is seen sighing, and while the rest of her family assumes the sighs stem from a romantic partner, she explains that she heard about the call from the emperor. She notes her family’s lack of a son to fight, so she describes her desire to buy a horse and fight in place of her father. She follows through with the preparations for the war and garners success in being in the army. Despite being considered for a promotion, Mulan declines and decides to journey back home, where she is met by her family. She finally discloses her true identity, leaving her comrades shocked but amazed.

The poem’s main themes include subtle gender roles but focus mainly on filial piety. At the beginning of the poem, her family assumes she is thinking of romantic interests. Several lines of the poem describe her reasons for fighting in the war. She wants to protect her father and keep him from the war. She thinks less of herself and more of her family. At her core, her family is the reason to fight rather than nationalistic beliefs or wanting honor.

Future Works

There is no shortage of new adaptations following the original poems. These novel works span movies, plays, and songs. The different adaptations take creative liberty, adding their own unique interpretations.

For example, The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Father’s Place, written in the 16th Century as a play, emphasizes Mulan’s place as a woman and took her out of the Northern Wei dynasty timeline. In this play, she unbinds her feet, a major symbol of her transformation from hiding herself.

Many of these earlier adaptations altered the main theme of filial piety to nationalism. Notably, Mulan Joins the Army, a film adaptation, places Mulan in China during Japan’s occupation of China. This film contained significant nationalistic undertones. This film depicts Mulan driving out invaders, and instead of protecting her family, she seeks to protect her country.

Some of the most notable works that have influenced Disney’s movie adaptations are found below.

The play The Female Mulan introduces a wholly new take on the revered story. In previous tellings, such as The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Father’s Place or in “The Historical Romance of the Sui and Tang,” Mulan dies by suicide to either prove her loyalty to the emperor or escape becoming a concubine, respectively. The Female Mulan (16th century CE) introduced a novel ending to the previously tragic story. Rather than dying at the end, this play ends with Mulan’s eventual happiness and marriage. This rather revolutionary play also added Mulan’s surname, Hua, which means flower.

These many works paved the way for the most recent film adaptations, Disney’s 1998 Mulan and their 2020 live-action Mulan.

Mulan: Expanding the Heroine’s Story

Although the most recent Disney Mulan was released in 2020, the original Disney take on the historical story first appeared in 1998. This 1998 version had several new elements that the 2020 Mulan eventually moved away from. This 1998 Mulan introduced the story to a wider audience, so its interpretation is the major focus.

Mulan (1998) and its Musical Interpretations

The creators of this movie chose to turn this into a musical, possibly paying homage to the original art form of a poem, ballad, or song. There are numerous songs in the movie that emphasize key details of the story and make the film unique, catering to a new, younger audience.

The film starts with Mulan, the main character, starting a very important day. She is meeting her matchmaker and is extremely nervous. She allows her mother and grandmother to prepare her for this meeting, but her time with the matchmaker does not go as planned. This first song seeks to portray Mulan as a feminine, beautiful character. She is doing her duty of bringing honor to her family, so the film delves deeper into the original ideas of filial piety. With this song, the audience begins to understand the place and “duty” of women in this era of China.

A girl can bring her family
Great honor in one way
By striking a good match
And this could be the day
Men want girls with good taste
Calm
Obedient
With good breeding 
And a tiny waist
You'll bring honor to us all

The next major song depicts Mulan in despair after she fails to make a good impression on the matchmaker. She laments that she can not be a good wife. The songwriters and creators likely meant for this song to represent a large number of young women who weren’t able to fit themselves into the strict role of “good daughter.” They most likely wanted to give a voice to women forgotten, not only in China but internationally. This song, even in modern interpretations, represents the desire to be seen, valued, and worthy of respect and honor for being one’s authentic self. Mulan’s desires can reflect many, if not all, young girls today. The inclusion of this popular song creates new meaning beyond the original poem by asserting that even before she disguised herself as a man, she sought to be seen for who she truly was.

After the introductory day, Mulan’s father is called to the war, but it is revealed that he previously fought and was injured in another war. Mulan attempts to protect him but brings more shame to her family. She, privately devises a plan to go in his place, replacing her father’s invitation with her flower hair comb.

The film also includes a beloved character named Mushu. Mushu is a small dragon who is inadvertently sent by Mulan’s ancestors to protect her after she leaves. Disney is an American company; therefore, Mulan most likely targeted the American people as the main audience. Mushu becomes a child-friendly character that represents an undeniably popular Chinese symbol. He is easy to love and gives the story a debatably more “Chinese” feel.

With Mushu by her side, Mulan begins training with the army, where she meets three other soldiers. These soldiers represent her “comrades” as referenced in the original Ballad of Mulan.

Mulan then meets Shang, the new general of the army, after his father passes in battle. She and Shang have a rocky relationship at the start, but soon, Mulan gains his respect with her transition to a strong soldier. The movie uses the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” to describe her improvement as a soldier. Where the original poem described Mulan’s journey to being a soldier with how she bought what she needed, the film shows Mulan’s transformation in music.

Mulan goes on to save the life of Shang, but she is found to be a woman. The film deliberately exposes her and denotes that she should be killed according to the law. Shang chooses not to kill her. With this mercy, Mulan could return home, but she chooses to fight for the very country that could have killed her.

It is in her decision to save China despite being free to return home that draws on the previous adaptations that change Mulan’s intentions to nationalism and pride in her country. These previous works that shifted from filial piety to nationalism seep into this film adaptation as she tries to save China by herself, met with annoyance and distrust because of her gender.

In one of the most notable and empowering moments for Mulan, her comrades decide to take her advice and dress as women to get past the enemies and save the emperor.

The film introduces an entirely new idea to the story of Mulan by turning the transformation from woman to man on its head. Mulan comes up with a plan to save the Emperor, who was taken by the Huns, China’s enemies. Like the previous adaptations, this movie seeks to inspire women. One unique aspect that Mulan (1998) includes is highlighting her intellect. Not only does Mulan change her appearance, but she also begins using her knowledge and intuition to save China. She rejected the notion that her value came from her ability to be wed and embraced her skill, determination, and love for her country and her family.

The end of the movie draws on the poem’s ending. Mulan is granted much respect and honor from the Emperor himself and is offered a high position in the government. She declines and asks to be allowed to go home, which the Emperor gladly grants. The movie diverges from the poem when the Emperor gifts Mulan with the Emperor’s crest and the sword of the defeated leader of the Huns. The movie includes this exchange to give Mulan proof to show to her family her accomplishments.

The closing part of the movie takes inspiration from both the original poem and the play The Female Mulan. Mulan is welcomed home by her father, mother, and grandmother.

In a beautiful ending, her father welcomes her back with wide arms. The sword and Emperor’s crest are forgone because his daughter is safe and well. The movie adopts an optimistic ending rather than Mulan dying by suicide. It brings its origins to the original poem where Mulan is welcomed home by her family.

Similar to The Female Mulan, the ending of the movie also includes the possibility of a marriage between Mulan and General Shang. As opposed to previous works of the story of Mulan, the movie does not confirm that the two actually wed. Instead, the ending is left open. This allows for further women empowerment by arguing that marriage does not give women their worth and value. Mulan ends the story with immense honor and without a husband, and the ending solidifies this concept.

Reinterpretations and Novel Meanings

Mulan (1998) is laden with unique takes on the historic poem. The movie remains true to the original poem in many ways. The movie incorporates both ideas of filial piety and nationalism. The film brings aspects like Mulan’s horse and her family to life on the screen. It also incorporates her comrades and their understood support in the poem.

One of the major alterations the movie includes is when Mulan convinces her comrades to dress as women. Once dressed as women, they are treated as weaker and not seen as a threat. This allows them to successfully defeat the enemies and rescue the Emperor. This change showcases Mulan’s intelligence while proving to the entirety of China the power of women.

Another new interpretation the film adds is the idea that Mulan’s life is more important than the respect of the Emperor or nation. This movie indicates that family and filial piety supercedes one’s duty to his or her country. This idea is subtle, yet it seems rooted in the original poem prior to the subsequent adaptations. This is further supported when Mulan returns home rather than accept a respected government position.

The movie also chooses to depict femininity through personality traits like obedience, cooking ability, and gentleness, as well as physical traits like a “tiny waist.” Unlike in the poem, which only attributes weaving to a feminine character, the movie highlights several aspects that are considered feminine. This divergence and inclusion of more aspects gives the movie a wider range to define and constrict a woman. This calls for Mulan to overcome more than just an occupation throughout the movie.

Overall, Mulan (1998) pays ample respect to the original poem but still has room to portray the story in a new light. The role of women in China and their ability to break barriers remains nuanced, allowing for artistic interpretation and alterations whenever an adaptation is created. As women continue to achieve accomplishments unheard of before, The Ballad of Mulan will continue to encourage women and young girls in its original form and its adaptations.