What is the difference between the image in the animation of Hua Mulan and the traditional one

Mulan then appears to the audience as a very spirited and hairy figure. She relies on making cheat sheets to barely memorize a series of behavioral norms, such as the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, that women must follow in society, winds up on a high horse to meet the matchmaker, and messes up the casting call that her parents have high hopes for. Feminists who advocate for women's liberation and freedom from patriarchal control would have loved this girl who appeared so out of the ordinary. Why should a woman have to remember the rules set by a patriarchal society? Why should they have to dress up and go through all the trouble of being some man's wife? Mulan is unusual in that she is consciously or unconsciously anti-traditional, which makes her very different from the "little girl" who is careful to follow the ethical rules and regulations. One day, when the Huns attacked, the court was in desperate need of men, but Hua Mulan's father was old, so Hua Mulan made up her mind to join the army in her father's place. This is supposed to reflect the filial piety promoted by the Chinese, but analyzed from a feminist point of view, this is a reflection of women's self-consciousness. Women were not allowed to go to war, and it was even a crime to deceive the king by dressing up as a man. Isn't this a discrimination against women's political status? Hua Mulan broke this situation, and made a great achievement and saved China. The expression "saved China" is obviously too exaggerated, but Westerners naturally will not go to the production of an animated movie and specifically to test the history of Hua Mulan in the end how much war work, as long as the woman portrayed as a hero is enough. And let's not forget that this woman was stronger and wiser than the men in the military camp, and she even saved the life of her future husband, Li Xiang, twice, once in an avalanche and once under Shan Yu. This is a very interesting plot. In the past, lovers were often saved by heroes, and women played the role of the weak, who needed the protection of the strong. But in Mulan, it is the woman who saves the man, and she saves him twice. The fact that a strong man is inferior to a woman is something that feminists would love to see, and it is only natural that a strong girl like Hua Mulan would become an idol in the hearts of many girls.

But the Mulan story is authentic Chinese, and the Americans still need to do some remodeling. Mulan 2, however, is a completely American product in Chinese garb. In early 2005, Disney released the sequel, Mulan 2, as a direct-to-video release. The production of the entire film basically invited the original cast, and like the previous one borrowed some of the techniques of Chinese painting, a combination of reality, brush and ink combination, the mood is far away, quite rich in oriental flavor. At the same time, the film will also be this kind of virtual painting method and lens focus principle, thus avoiding the ink animation is not easy and three-dimensional realistic animation integration of contradictions, to achieve the coordination and balance of the writing and realism. The sound effects and music design can be said to be very delicate, whether it is used to express the thoughts of the song, or set the plot of the music, as well as the use of various sound effects are very craftsmanship, especially the use of traditional Chinese musical instruments, quite Chinese flavor. To add more oriental charm, the movie even mentions the essentials of Chinese martial arts and classical Chinese philosophies such as phasing and yin and yang.

Why did they choose Mulan when her story was already told in the first movie? In addition to the appeal of a sequel, the fact that Mulan has become a feminist icon in the West is not to be ignored. This time around, the story is completely free for the Americans to make up as they see fit. The story tells how Hua Mulan and Li Xiang were about to get married when they suddenly received a secret mission. In order to resist the powerful Xiongnu, the emperor decided to bring in other neighboring countries and assigned Li Xiang and Mulan to escort three princesses to marry and make peace with each other within three days. But on the way, Mulan discovers that the princesses are not willing to marry foreigners, and even worse, they actually fall in love with the three soldiers who are traveling with them. Mulan, who has always been an advocate of women's free will, is opposed to arranged marriages from the very beginning, and her phrase "My duty is to my heart. In the end, Hua Mulan lets the three princesses go and skillfully accomplishes her mission with the help of the Mushu Dragon. Hua Mulan has become a female idol in her hometown, and young girls are all competing to find Mulan to learn martial arts, quite a new feminine temperament of "not loving red clothes and loving arms". The three princesses are the three new feminists in the movie, although they are very repressed at the beginning, but in the end, when one of the princesses intends to write a letter to leave, they reach a **** knowledge, want to break the rules, do not want to honor, do not want the rules, do not want to attend, do not want to wrap the feet, just want to be a free and easy to be a true love of the girl. The bright and kind-hearted Hua Mulan became their leader, in other words, from guidance to fulfillment of the three princesses, Hua Mulan has always played the role of rescuer, and she once again sowed feminist feelings into the world of oppression of women. Of course, if the historical Hua Mulan was really like that, then she was a bit too forward-thinking. But as an American viewer, and especially as an American feminist, such a plot is perfectly acceptable. After all, arranged marriages are viewed in the West as an abhorrent practice, and Mulan should serve as a good example for every woman.

Chinese viewers may be surprised to learn that "Mulan" is being analyzed from a feminist perspective. Yes, the difference between Eastern and Western cultures will naturally cause some misunderstanding. It used to be that understanding was extremely insufficient, and misunderstanding often led to cultural conflicts and misperceptions. Today, the interaction and understanding between the East and the West are increasing, yet cultural misunderstandings are still unavoidable. Although Westerners do not realize the greatness of filial piety from the story of Hua Mulan as the Chinese do, feminism does not detract from the image of Hua Mulan and can be justified. This is the interesting part of cultural exchange.