You guys must have watched or heard about the disney movie call "Mulan". Well, incase you didn't, I would refresh your mind. The movie "Mulan" is about a girl name Fa Mulan and due to her father's injury, she disguise herself in her father's armor to get into China's army which is only consist of males. Mulan is consider a disney Asian princess, but I never thought so because she is more like a warrior/army/soldier and come from No royal background.Before I rambled on about Hua Mulan, I want to share a brief description of who she is (which is pretty similiar) to the Disney movie. Instead, Hua was changed to Fa. In reality Mulan is based on a Chinese female name Hua Mulan. Hua Mulan comes from a Chinese poem call "A ballad with Mulan". Hua Mulan is a women who disguised herself to join the royal army in her father place, when disney recreated the movie they alter the show, but stood to the original story -line. Hua Mulan can be a fictional or non-ficitonal character depending on the Chinese audiences, just like American audiences to the Hercules myth.
Recently in 2009, a Live version of Mulan was made casting my favorite Chinese actress, Vicki Zhao Wei. The movie was also named as "Hua Mulan". I was super exciting, but unfortunately it's not available anywhere on the internet yet. So I'm gonna buy the DVD a.s.a.p. If you guys don't know Vicki Zhao, she is a singer, model, and actress in China. My all time favorite 1990s movie by Vicki Zhao was when she cast in a movie call "Romance in the rain", and she was also cast in "Shaolin Soccer" by Stephen Chow in 2002, who also directed "Kung Fu Hustle". Zhao fits the perfect role of Hua Mulan. She play roles which she had acted like tomboy, but yet she can be feminine at the same time. Her attitude in movies are never really girly (unless the role requires her too), this is great, because I really dislike girly (and their mood swings) roles, and Zhao is also skilled in many martial art status. Of course this movie is not, (I repeat is NOT) a disney and in most Chinese movies, there are no such thing as HAPPY ENDINGS. Same with reality. You dont' wake up one day and marry your true prince and become a princess living in a big castle, you can dream it, but it's gonna get crushed. To face reality, Hua Mulan is really epic and shows encouragement treating female and male equality in war time. It opens my eyes while it was at it. I hope if you guys get the chance, you can support Hua Mulan movie, then you can decide or judge if you like it later on. A- go-go-go! Vicki Zhao Wei.
Vicki Zhao in Hua Mulan
