35. Historians Think The Story Is Fictional
Folk tales are oral histories that get passed down for generations, sometimes for hundreds of years. The story of Hua Mulan is a folk tale, grounded more in the lives of the people who told it than in actual history.
There is no evidence that the character of Mulan existed at all, or that her exploits happened. While the era in which she would have lived – the Northern and Southern dynasties – was undoubtedly filled with political turmoil and bloodshed, the events in the story don’t add up with history.