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16. Lady General Hua Mulan
Following World War II Great Britain reclaimed its colony of Hong Kong from the Japanese. After the end of the Chinese Civil War and the ascension of the Communist government in mainland China, Chinese residents of Hong Kong faced a quandary. Identification with the British, their Chinese culture on the mainland, or the establishment of the nationalist government in Taiwan, was a decision facing the citizens of Hong Kong. By the early 1960s, it was evident to Yueh Feng, a director at Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studios, that another retelling of the Mulan legend was called for. He chose the medium of opera, presented in a film rather than onstage. The film presents Mulan not as a heroine who rises to individual distinction, but as part of a team in which all succeed.
Unity, rather than the glorification of war (as in the 1939 film) is the overlying theme of the opera, though it follows the basis of the Mulan legend more or less faithfully. Yueh Feng cast Ivy Li Po, a celebrated star of Huangmei Opera films, in the role of Mulan. She was awarded Best Actress at the Asian Film Awards in 1964 for her performance in the film. Lady General Hua Mulan aimed to promote the idea that the Chinese citizens of Hong Kong were one with their fellows in China and elsewhere, another use of the Mulan legend to promote political and ethnic viewpoints, rather than simply presenting the tale of Mulan as it originated centuries earlier. Portions of the film are available for viewing on YouTube and other sites as of this writing.