Disney’s Mulan tells women if they know their place, they can ‘have it all’

Disney’s adaptation is a more conservative telling of an ancient story – and the place of women – than some historical Chinese renditions

While Mulan might claim to be a tale of female empowerment, ultimately this film is about how women will only be rewarded if they know their place

Sin Wen Lau and Shih-Wen Sue Chen

Published: 3:00pm, 16 Sep, 2020

Updated: 3:44pm, 16 Sep, 2020

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Liu Yifei in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan. Photo: Disney via AP

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Sin Wen Lau

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Sin Wen Lau is Senior Lecturer in the Chinese Programme at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Her research interests include the anthropology of China, religion, gender, children and youth.

Shih-Wen Sue Chen

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Dr Shih-Wen Sue Chen is Senior Lecturer in Writing and Literature at Deakin University. Her research focuses on British and Chinese children's literature and culture from the mid-19th century to the present.

Disney’s Mulan tells women if they know their place, they can ‘have it all’

Disney’s adaptation is a more conservative telling of an ancient story – and the place of women – than some historical Chinese renditions While Mulan might claim to be a tale of female empowerment, ultimately this film is about how women will only be rewarded if they know their place

Disney’s adaptation is a more conservative telling of an ancient story – and the place of women – than some historical Chinese renditions

While Mulan might claim to be a tale of female empowerment, ultimately this film is about how women will only be rewarded if they know their place