Mulan From Legend To Screen: The Influence Of Globalisation On The Representation Of China In Film

Mulan, a legendary Chinese heroine, is the protagonist of the ancient four-hundred-word poem, The Ballad of Mulan (500 BCE). Celebrated for highlighting Mulan’s filial piety, a supreme virtue in Chinese culture, this poem is regarded as a landmark in Chinese literature and is widely included in China’s educational textbooks. Over the past three decades, both the Walt Disney Company and several Chinese studios have adapted Mulan’s story into films on multiple occasions, introducing her as an iconic figure representing Chinese culture. The increasing number of Mulan adaptations not only presented differing depictions of both China and the Chinese heroine, but also established her international fan base in cinema markets worldwide. While Mulan productions achieved international commercial success, the influence of globalisation on these films’ adaptation strategies remains relatively underexplored. This dissertation focuses on two Disney Mulan adaptations (Mulan [1998] and Mulan [2020]) and two Chinese versions (Mulan: Rise of a Warrior [2009] and Unparalleled Mulan [2020]) to explore the development of Hollywood’s and China’s film industries, analysing how these productions targeted global audiences in different ways. In doing so, this thesis aims to explore how globalisation informs Hollywood and Chinese studios’ adaptation approaches, thereby influencing screen representations of China.

This dissertation adopts in-depth textual analysis to dissect the four Mulan adaptations, focusing on production context, narrative, and character development. This method offers insights into globalisation’s influence on the portrayal of Chinese culture in these films. More specifically, the examination of the case studies reveals the ways in which Disney and Chinese studios navigate the balance between the original ballad and global appeal. This comparison not only showcases the evolution of perceptions and representations of Chinese culture in global cinema but also unveils how these productions play a role in shaping and being shaped by global cultural perceptions. Ultimately, this research contributes to a more detailed understanding of the dynamic between Hollywood and the Chinese film industry, demonstrating how globalisation influences cultural storytelling in cinema.