Why do we still tell the story of Mulan today?
Not because we want to repeat a story that has been told for more than a thousand years.
But because in Mulan there are things that have never gone out of date.
Choice.
Courage.
Love.
Responsibility.
And, after travelling very far, still knowing who you are.
What is truly moving about Mulan is never only what she did.
It is that at the decisive moments of her life, she made her own choice.
Courage.
Not the absence of fear.
But moving forward when it is time to set out.
Love.
Not weakness.
Because the heart holds love, one is willing to act, and willing to bear what follows.
Keeping.
Not standing still.
But, after making a choice, staying true to what one believes.
Wisdom.
Not knowing every answer.
But understanding oneself more deeply after experiencing the world.
Return.
Not going back to the start.
But, after walking far, still knowing where one comes from.
Courage · Love · Keeping · Wisdom · Return.
These five words are how we understand Mulan anew today.
She can be gentle, and she can be resolute.
She can love, and she can refuse.
She can set out, and she can return.
She does not wait for the world to define her.
She walks her own path.
So we do not want today’s Mulan to be only a costume, a suit of armour, or a figure in a distant historical tale.
She can live today.
Crossing the city. Entering work. Facing relationships. Making choices. Moving out into the world.
She can be many people.
She can be you.
Dare to love, a strength of one’s own.
This is the Mulan of today as we understand her.
THE MULAN WOMAN STRENGTH CAN BE QUIET.