Stories from a Chinese studio episode five: Mulan in the 21th century

Stories from a Chinese studio by Tianqi Luo

Episode notes

Today we look at one of the most beloved Chinese fictional/historical characters in the world: Mulan. I know that many are already familiar with Mulan’s story through Disney’s interpretation: while the Mulan princess/warrior is not 100% the same with the historical Mulan depicted in its original historical text/poem, I would say the essential character, plot, point of view, setting and theme are all honest depiction of her. There’s much that’s been written already about Mulan and her story, so today I want to talk about her as a character in the 21st century, as both a character that inspires imagination, but also a character that generates revenue. Today we talk about Mulan, Disney, and their relationship with the Chinese market.