Mulan (木蘭) means "magnolia" in Chinese. **Hua Mulan is the legendary heroine of the *Ballad of Mulan* — a 6th-century Northern Wei dynasty narrative poem about a young woman who disguised herself as a man and took her ailing father's place in the imperial army**, fighting for twelve years before returning home with honor. **One of the most beloved figures in Chinese folklore, retold in Ming dynasty plays, Qing operas, and the 1998 Disney animated film** that introduced the legend to a global audience. **The poem's closing line — "Two hares running side by side close to the ground, how can they tell male from female?" — is among the most quoted in Chinese literature.**
Subject of countless adaptations across Chinese opera, film, and modern media.
Mulan reduces to one — the number of disguised warrior.