Mulan's Legend and Legacy in China and the United States (American Literatures Initiative (Temple University Press))

281 Pages·2010·1.83 MB·English

by  Lan Dong

Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in China
and the United States

Mulan’s Legend and
Legacy in China and the
United States
lan dong
Temple University Press
philadelphia
Temple University Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
www.temple.edu/tempress
Copyright © 2011 by Temple University
All rights reserved
Published 2011
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Dong, Lan, 1974–
Mulan’s legend and legacy in China and the United States / Lan Dong.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59213-970-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-59213-971-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-59213-972-9 (e-book)
1. Hua, Mulan (Legendary character) 2. Mulan shi—Influence. 3. Chinese
literature—Appreciation—United States. 4. American literature—Chinese influences.
5. Mulan (Motion picture) 6. Animated films—United States—History and
criticism. I. Title.
PL2668.M833D66 2010
398.20951'02—dc22
2010019345
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
A book in the American Literatures Initiative (ALI), a collaborative
publishing project of NYU Press, Fordham University Press, Rutgers
University Press, Temple University Press, and the University of Virginia
Press. The Initiative is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
For more information, please visit www.americanliteratures.org.
For Susanne, with love and tears

Contents
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 Prologue 1
2 Heroic Lineage: Military Women and Lady Knights-Errant
in Premodern China 9
3 From a Courageous Maiden in Legend to a Virtuous Icon
in History 51
4 The White Tiger Mythology: A Woman Warrior’s
Autobiography 93
5 One Heroine, Many Characters: Mulan in American
Picture Books 123
6 Of Animation and Mulan’s International Fame 159
7 Epilogue 188
Appendix 195
Notes 201
Bibliography 223
Index 257

Figures
2.1 Lady Liang by Wu Youru 22
2.2 Lady Xian by Wu Youru 24
2.3 Lady Xian by Jin Guliang 25
2.4 Qin Liangyu by Wu Youru 27
2.5 Jing shisanniang by Wu Youru 41
2.6 Hongxian by Wu Youru 43
3.1 Mulan by Wu Youru 60
3.2 Mulan from Nüzi ershisi xiao tu shuo 64
3.3 Mulan by Jin Guliang 70
3.4 Huang Chonggu by Wu Youru 74
3.5 Mulan from Gui fan 78
3.6 Mulan from Sui Tang yanyi 82
3.7 Mulan from Nüxia xiaoshuo Mulan congjun 83
3.8 Mulan from Lidai mingyuan tu shuo 86
3.9 Mulan from Bai xiao tu 89
4.1 Mulan from Baimei xinyong tuzhuan 113
5.1 Homecoming scene on a spread page from
The Song of Mu Lan by Jeanne M. Lee 136
5.2 Homecoming scene on a spread page from
The Ballad of Mulan by Song Nan Zhang 138
5.3 Cover page of The Ballad of Mulan by Song Nan Zhang 145
5.4 Mulan in front of a mirror from Courage and Wisdom:
The Story of Mulan the Daughter and the Warrior by
Gang Yi and Xiao Guo, illustrated by Xunzhi Yin 154