China News Agency, Wuhan, September 18th: How did the story of Hua Mulan spread and influence overseas?
——Interview with Ye Weizhang, inheritor of the Mulan legend, a national intangible cultural heritage
China News Agency reporter Zhang Qin Liang Ting
"Hey again and again, Mulan is a household weaving..." A "Mulan Poem" made the story of "Mulan join the army for her father" known to women and children.
There are many heroines in Chinese history. Why is the story of Mulan widely circulated?
What role has Mulan culture played in promoting cultural exchanges between the East and the West?
Recently, Ye Weizhang, the inheritor of the Mulan legend, a national intangible cultural heritage, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions".
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Agency reporter: The story of "Mulan joins the army for her father" is well-known at home and abroad. Where did the image of this heroine first come from, and does "Mulan" really exist?
Ye Weizhang:
Hua Mulan is one of the heroines in ancient Chinese legends. There is no exact record of her surname, place of origin, life and deeds in historical books.
It is impossible to verify when the legend of Mulan began, and its origin has been confusing for thousands of years.
According to the existing ancient Chinese literary works and local county records, it is generally recognized and accepted that the image of Mulan originated from a narrative poem "Mulan Poem" (also known as "Mulan Ci") in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
The poem was first recorded in the Ancient and Modern Music Records written by Chen Shizhi in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and later included in the Yuefu Poetry Collection compiled by Guo Maoqian in the Song Dynasty.
Guo Maoqian quoted the records in Ancient and Modern Music Records and said: "Mulan, unknown." It can be seen that the editor at that time had no idea of Mulan's life experience.
"Mulan Joins the Army" written by Li Jun in the Tang Dynasty called Mulan an "ancient man", which shows that she has a long life.
"Mulan Poems" was included in the "Yuefu Poetry Collection" compiled by Guo Maoqian in the Song Dynasty.
Photo by Zhang Qin
I personally agree with Mr. Fan Wenlan, a famous historian, "There may be a daughter who once served in the army on behalf of her old father, and the folk sing praises of this heroic daughter, and gradually expand it into a large chapter and modify it into a boutique, but there is no need to research whether Mulan really has its own characteristics. People, it really matters."
China News Service: How has the image of Mulan evolved over thousands of years? As a cultural phenomenon, what kind of cultural connotation and national spirit does it contain?
Ye Weizhang:
"Poems of Mulan" is less than 400 words. It tells the legendary story of Mulan disguising herself as a man and joining the army for her father.
In fact, since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the adaptation and remodeling of the image of Mulan has never stopped. The writers of the past dynasties have processed, extended and filled it, enriching the artistic image of this heroine.
As the source, "Poems of Mulan" has created Mulan's image of a heroic woman who is loyal and filial, brave and courageous, and does not seek fame and fortune.
Among them, the act of "joining the army for the father" made "filial piety" the core value of Mulan's image at that time.
In the Tang Dynasty, Du Mu, Bai Juyi and Wei Yuanfu all wrote poems about Mulan.
Wei Yuanfu's "Mulan Song" added elements of Tang Dynasty frontier poems, and emphasized the "moral benchmark" image of "loyalty and filial piety are unswerving, and the name of the ages can be destroyed".
The full text of "Mulan Poems" does not mention Mulan's surname.
The zaju "Four Tone Apes: Female Mulan Joins the Army for Her Father" written by Xu Wei, a writer and dramatist in the Ming Dynasty, gave Mulan the surname "Hua", and added that Mulan had practiced martial arts since she was a child. Marriage, etc.
The Qing Dynasty's Biography of Filial Piety and Loyalty, Filial Piety and Strange Girl adopted the basic plot structure of Female Mulan and enriched them, laying the foundation for the creation of Mulan operas in later generations.
From the Peking Opera "Mulan Joins the Army" to the Henan Opera "Mulan", and then to today's film and television dramas based on the story of Mulan, under the core plot of "women disguise themselves as men, join the army for her father, fight for years, and resign from office", " "Mulan" has been endowed with different era characteristics and cultural connotations in different periods, or a national hero who inspired a large number of young people to join the army to join the revolution, or a representative of outstanding women, but her core spirit of loyalty and patriotism and filial piety to her parents has not changed.
Young actors perform the Henan Opera "Mulan".
Photo by Qiu Yong
The "filial piety, loyalty, courage, and festival" advocated by Confucianism are fully reflected in Mulan.
Let’s talk about “filial piety” first. China has attached great importance to filial piety since ancient times. There is only one reason for Mulan to join the army in “Poems of Mulan”, that is, “replacement for the father”—the reluctance to let the elderly father go to the battlefield is a concentrated expression of “filial piety”; "Loyalty", Confucianism advocates loyalty to the ruler and patriotism. Mulan fought hard on the battlefield and defended the frontier, and practiced "loyalty" in the army for more than ten years; it is worth mentioning "courage". It takes courage and courage to disguise a woman as a man and join the army for her father." Thousands of miles to go to the military plane, Guanshan is like flying", which highlights Mulan's brave and persevering character; "Festival" is reflected in Mulan's refusal to receive awards and returning home to serve her parents.
Even more rare is the awakening of female consciousness in Mulan's story.
No matter "The two rabbits walk next to the ground, An Neng can tell whether I am male or female" in "Poem of Mulan", or "Who says women are inferior to men" in Henan Opera "Mulan", the recognition of female identity inspires and motivates everyone women of the era.
Mulan Equestrian Porcelain Works.
Photo by Zhang Qin
China News Agency reporter: From the American Disney animation version to the live-action version of "Mulan", "Mulan", a symbolic figure in traditional Chinese culture, has gained a large number of overseas "fans". During your research and collection of Mulan culture, what stories or collections have witnessed the overseas spread of Mulan culture?
Ye Weizhang:
Some people think that Disney filmed "Mulan" by accident, but it's not.
According to my research, the spread of Mulan culture in the United States can be traced back at least to the Qing Dynasty.
In 1881, the American missionary WAP Martin, who served as the chief instructor of the "Jingshi Tongwenguan", translated "Mulan Poem" into English rhyme, titled "Mulan, the Maiden Chief", which was published in the United States, and has been republished many times since then. The spread of Mulan culture in the United States played an important role.
In 1921, when Hong Shen, Zhang Pengchun and other Chinese drama pioneers were studying at Harvard University in the United States, they compiled and performed the English stage play "Mulan Joins the Army", which was the first time the image of Hua Mulan appeared on the American stage.
The Mulan story spread even earlier in Japan.
According to the related collections that I have collected and organized for more than 30 years, the Mulan culture has spread and influenced a lot in Japan.
Among them, the poems of Mulan that spread to Japan earlier were included in the engraved edition of "The Great View of Ancient Poems" and were published in the 12th year of Wenzheng (1829).
The book not only records the full text of Mulan Poems, but also annotates the verses one by one.
The "Poems of Mulan" included in the "Grand View of Ancient Poems" published in Japan in 1829.
Photo by Zhang Qin
In 1918, Hashimoto Kanyuki, a famous modern Japanese painter, drew a picture of Mulan, depicting the scene of Mulan resting in the forest when she returned to her hometown.
In 2012, the musical and dance drama "Mulan" co-rehearsed by China and Japan was staged in Japan and China respectively.
"Mulan" by Hashimoto Sekiyuki, a famous modern Japanese painter.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Mulan culture has also spread to France, Britain, the Netherlands and other countries.
In 1892, Chen Jitong, a diplomat in the late Qing Dynasty, published the French version of "My Country". The second part of the book told the story of Mulan, calling Mulan "China's Joan of Arc"; in 1899, the British William Stanton The book "Chinese Opera Book" translated and included "Mulan Poem"; the Dutch version "Mulan" was published in 1939.
My Country, written by Chen Jitong, a diplomat in the late Qing Dynasty, tells the story of Mulan.
Photo by Zhang Qin
China News Service reporter: What role does Mulan culture play in promoting East-West exchanges? What are the lessons for Chinese culture to "go global"?
Ye Weizhang:
The story of Mulan is spread to the outside world. While retaining the traditional Chinese culture, it also integrates the understanding of the spirit of Mulan by the people of the world. The core ideas of heroism, bravery, family and country, war and peace are the eternal and unchanging core ideas of human beings. theme, which has attracted worldwide attention and love.
The story of Mulan goes abroad and promotes the collision and integration of Eastern and Western cultural ideas and values.
Although there are differences between the East and the West in the character building and value mining of "Mulan", the spread of Mulan's story overseas has given the outside world a window to explore Chinese culture.
During the "Chinese Year" activity in Russia, students took pictures in the shape of "Mulan".
Photo by Song Fulai
In June 2008, the legend of Mulan was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
As a cultural heritage shared by mankind, we have the responsibility to promote and disseminate various cultural and artistic images and works on the basis of protecting the core cultural elements.
I have been paying attention to Mulan culture since the 1980s, and I have collected more than 5,000 Mulan-related collections.
As the inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Mulan legend, it is my top priority to make good use of the story and spiritual connotation of "Mulan legend".
To this end, I founded the Mulan Culture Museum and the Mulan Legend Museum to let more people know and understand the Mulan culture.
Mulan image wood carving.
Photo by Zhang Qin
In my opinion, the more outstanding traditional culture with distinct themes and strong ethnic integration, the more it can resonate with the people of the world.
At present, Mulan is not only the collective memory of the country and the nation, but also a typical Chinese cultural symbol.
Excavating the value connotation of Mulan culture in the new era, and making its innovation and inheritance continue, should be the direction of our future efforts. "There is no mountain before Mulan, and the name of the mountain is supplemented by Mulan. Mulan and the mountain are both famous, and the mountain and Mulan compete for eternity." .
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Ye Weizhang, the representative inheritor of the fifth batch of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage, is committed to the inheritance, research and themed collection of Mulan culture, collecting and arranging ancient books, paintings, sculptures, porcelain, wood carvings, singing books, etc. related to the legend of Mulan. There are more than 20 types of scripts, artworks, etc., which greatly enrich, enrich and expand the connotation of Mulan legend.
The Mulan Culture Museum he founded has made important contributions to carry forward the spirit of Mulan and to inherit and carry forward the traditional Chinese cultural heritage.