The Characters and animals

The Huns are the big scary bad guys in the movie. This is true, becuase around when Mulan lived, the Huns invaded China. Although westerners would know them as Mongols. The horses roles in the movie are also correctly portrayed. The saddles and bridles are similar to artwork found of horses. They also show the horses with the saddles of the imperial army. The lucky cricket that everyone wishes they had may be made up. They have been drawn in artwork and are sold on the street in wired cages, but the lucky part may have been added in the movie. Dragons in China are seen as snakelike, wise, and good as opposed to the monstrous scary mythical creatures. This is what Mushu was based off of, and in the end, he was seen as wise and powerful instead of a bother.
The falcon that the main Hun always carries on his shoulder was based off of the birds of prey perched on the Mongol's shoulders when they would hunt.

The Smaller Details

The plot includes some of the aspects of real life China, however, the small details in the movie reflect China the most. When the Huns attack the Great Wall, the solider lights the fire on the watchtower, and soon other fires light to in other watch towers, alerting the danger. The young solider tells the Hun, "Now all of China will know your here," after lighting the fire. This was true becuase the communication was crucial, so watch towers and barracks were built in the high areas. They would light a torch when dangers was seen, alerting other watchtowers and all of China. Also in the begining when Mulan was many chores to attend to, is what life was like for women in the past. They were not thought of highly and did servant work. They had 3 obediences to follow, obey her father before marriage, her husband after mariage, and her son after her husband’s death. When Mulan Visits the matchmaker, she makes a mess of herself and her mother is disappointed that she may never find a husband. In China, it was likely that when a boy's parent found a potential bride for their son, they visit the matchmaker where they discuss conflicts and interests. When the girl accepts, they visit the matchmaker again and she will decide if their birth dates will allow their marriage to be compatible. Also, Mulan's father ccompares her to a cherry blossom. In China, these flowers were held with the highest regards. The food in the movie is also a good representation of what the Chinese diet was like then. Rice was a major part of their diet, and used in the house and when she was in the army.

Mulan Plot

The movie starts out when she is visiting the matchmaking service. This part of life in China was true for the women. The families would pay the matchmaker money so that they could find a husband for their daughter. Messing this up, Mulan is forced to find herself. Her father is the ultimate ruler of the family. This part is true for the real life in China also. The father is the man of the house. He assures Mulan everything would be alright. However, in China, when a women is rejected, they may not be accepted by their family again. Soon, Mulan's father is drafted into the war to fight against the Huns. Originally in China, when an army was needed, they would send people out to gather men from different villages, so this particular part remains true. Afraid that her father is to old, Mulan poses as her fathers son and sets out to train for war. This is highly unlikely because coming from a wealthy family, she would have her ankles bound making it difficult to do anything with activity. However, her family send ancestors to take care of her and watch over her. In reality, the ancestors do influence the family greatly, and are often called upon to protect family members. When she gets discovered as a women, the army lets her go. It is highly unlikely that they would allowher to go unscathed. Also, when she saves the emperor, it is extremely unlikely that the emperor would bow down to her and give her the emperor's crest. Mulan contains the some truths of past life in China, but also adds a plot to the movie and hides some truths that wouldn't be appropriate for a kid's movie.

Mulan

For my topic, i analyzed the movie Mulan. Separating truths from the made up parts, and showing how the life Mulan and her family live compares to the regular life.

China's River Systems

There are four main river that run through China. The Yangtze River(Chiangjiang), the Black Dragon River (Heilongjiang), the Pearl River (Xijiang), and the Yellow River (Huang Ho). Many of the major cities in China are located of these major rivers. The Black Dragon River runs eastward and empties into the Okhotsk Sea. This river has many tributaries that help contribute to economic benefit with commercial intercourses with Russia. The drainage of the Yangtze River helps to produce about 70 percent of China's rice crop. The Three Gorges Dam was a project that help control flooding and generate about 10 percent of China's electricity. The Pearl River is in the south and a major commercial waterway. It helps link the delta cities to the interior. The Yellow River is surronded by vast areas of rich farmland, in which it floods at times. However, irrigation techniques have been used to try to controll this flooding.

Population Centers

One of the population centers of China in Shanghai.(Picture to the right.) Shanghai is located in China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River. This energetic city could be called China's Manhattan, it is the largest city in China. The booming population contributes to the fact that Shanghai is an cornerstone in international trade. This large city started out merely as a small fishing village but progressed to being the 3rd largest port in the world. On the island of Podong the economical conditions have been raised significantly. Now, high rise hotels and banks overflow the city. Beijing is also a population center.(Picture to the left.) This city is located on the northern tip up the North China Plain. The north, northwest, and west boundaries are surrounded by mountains.This power house city is the capital of China and contains the largest square in the world. This city is a transportation center. The dozens of roads, railways, and motorways show this fact. Beijing is also the focal point for many flights flying into China. The city was started in 1976 when around one million people gathered to mourn for a leader. Now it has grown to a flourishing city. It holds the forbidden city and Bay high park. Here there are many recreation activities to attend to. The Summer Palace is also one of the most popular places to go to in Beijing. Beijing is one of the population centers and has many aspects that attract the people to this modern city. The third population center is Chongqing Chongqing.(picture below.) This city located where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet in southwest China is the largest industrial and commercial center in all of southwest China. It is a major hub of land and water transportation in the upper Yangtze river. This city was established in 1997 is facing the challenges of development. The fourth population center is Guangzhou Guangzhou.(Below right.) It lays across the Pearl River and is an important gateway in south China. It is the oldest trading port where sea-bound ships anchor. It also has navigation lines that stretch to all continents in the world. It started out as a foreign trade hub in about 22 B.C. Since it is and important entry and exit port, tourists and businesses are attracted to this city. The fifth population center of China is Xi'an Xi'an. This is the largest city in northwest China. This is a famous ancient city and was also the starting point of the Silk Road. It was served endlessly as capital cities for many dynasties. Today, it is a tourist attraction in addition to a rising industrial base for China. It is well known for its machine-building and textiles industries.

Where is China Located?

China is on the east side of Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Korea Bay, and the South China Sea. The bordering countries to the north include Russia, Mongolia, and North Korea. The western line is bordered by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Along the south border, India, Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, and Macau surround the border. The northern limits to China are about 50 degrees, about 18 degrees north, and about 85 degrees west.