[文化學習] 關於迪士尼經典動畫《花木蘭》的澄清・ The original version of Mùlán { Part 1 }

流傳中國千餘年的傳奇女性，

A legendary woman who have been circulating in China for more than one thousand years.

一位總讓西方人霧裏看花的巾幗英雄

A woman hero that always mystifies Westerners, just likes looking flowers through the mist (Mùlán is a kind of flowers in Chinese as well, namely "Magnolia").

花木蘭 Mulan

Photo by Amazon

一、對花木蘭的澄清 Clarify for Mùlán

首先，我想先解釋一些西方人常見的誤會（有些甚至連中國人自己都不太瞭解）：

First of all, I want to clarify some common misunderstandings from Westerners (even the Chinese do not understand some of them as well).

1. 花木蘭是不是「戰爭英雄」？ Is Mùlán a war hero?

花木蘭給華人世界的印象，說成「巾幗英雄」（巾幗代指女性，是一種名為「借代」的修辭手法，以女性戴頭巾此「部分」特徵來借代「整體」女性）還比「戰爭英雄」貼切。尤其敘述花木蘭的詩辭中並沒有著重描述她的戰功，反倒側重闡述其代父從軍，顛覆傳統中國女子嬌弱不從武事的刻板印象。

According to the Impression of Mùlán in Chinese world, describing her as a "headscarf hero" is more appropriate than a "war hero." (the headscarf refers to women in ancient time. It is one of rhetorical devices called "synecdoche," which means the "partial" feature of women, the headscarf, can be referred to "whole" women) In particular, the ballad of Mùlán does not emphasize her military exploits. Instead, it focuses on illustrating the image of which Mùlán serves in her father's place. That definitely subverts the stereotype of traditional Chinese women who are delicate but not martial.

巾幗示意圖（即古代女子頭巾）
Woman headscarf in ancient China

2. 花木蘭不是「公主」，但她是「中國人」嗎？ Mùlán is not a princess, but is she a Chinese?
我個人的觀點是：沒有討論的必要。學者考究〈木蘭辭〉（是目前最早唯一詳細記載花木蘭事蹟的「長篇」敘事詩）大都贊同其背景應該在北魏時期。我們起碼得先知道的是，北魏為「鮮卑拓跋氏」創立的政權，地理位置大約在今山西北部至內蒙古一帶，如果從地理位置來看它無疑是在現今的中國境內，而花木蘭的爭議性應是她是否為「少數民族（例如鮮卑人）」而非「漢民族」。重點來了，我們不能因北魏是少數民族建立的政權便以為國土內「完全沒有漢人」。中國歷史上的北魏正處於戰亂頻仍的年代，長達3、400年國土不斷分裂合併，即「魏晉南北朝」時期。政權的更迭往往也成為民族融合的契機，在這幾百年間，不知有多少胡人漢化、漢人胡化，更不用說之後由著名的北魏孝文帝所推動的「漢化改革」。最後談到〈木蘭辭〉，它的創作者已不可考，被後世續作、修改的機率極大，甚至也可能並非北魏時期的作者所寫，從文字上去推敲「木蘭是否為中國人」是難以站得住腳的。既然本身便是個沒有答案的問題，我想就不必再著墨討論了。

From my own prospective, there is no need for discussion. Most scholars studying the ballad of Mùlán, a long-length narrative poem which is the earliest text recording the deeds of Mùlán, agree that its background should be in the Northern Wei Dynasty. At least we must know that the Northern Wei Dynasty was founded by the "Xianbei Tuoba." Its territory approximately expands from the northern area of current Shanxi to Inner Mongolia. In this regard, it is undoubtedly in the territory of China today. However, the controversy of Mùlán should be whether she is a "minority (such as Xianbei)" or a "Han Chinese." The key point is: We cannot assume that there are no "Han Chinese" in the country barely because the Northern Wei is a political power established by minorities. Specifically, the Northern Wei Dynasty is an era of frequent wars in Chinese history. The country had been divided and merged during 300 to 400 years, namely the period of Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties. The variation of political power has often become an opportunity for national amalgamation. We cannot imagine that the "sinicization" may intensely occur there for hundreds of years, not to mention the policy of sinicization promoted by a prestigious emperor in Northern Wei: Xiaowen. Besides, we are unable to find out the author of the ballad of Mùlán, and there is a high probability of it being added and revised by any other people as well. Owing to the fact that the ballad of Mùlán might not even be written by the author in Northern Wei Dynasty, it is unreliable to clarify whether "Mùlán is Chinese" simply from the text. Eventually, it is a question that has no answer.

北魏疆域圖（北方與柔然汗國接壤）
Territory of Northern Wei (Rouran Khaganate borders on its north)

Photo by Wiki

3. 花木蘭姓「花」嗎？ Is "Hua" the last name of Mùlán?
同上述所說，花木蘭的故事源自於〈木蘭辭〉，詩辭中並沒有提及她姓花，所以我們必須要有個觀念是：姓氏已不可考了。但這個花姓又從何而來？事實上最早描述到木蘭姓花的作者，出自於劉宋時期（南朝）的數學、天文學家祖沖之，這或許就是為什麼明代的劇作家徐渭會在改編劇本《雌木蘭替父從軍》中將木蘭定為花姓，甚至一家老小，父母姊弟全部都有了姓名，得以廣傳至今。

As I mentioned above, the story of Mùlán originates from the ballad of Mùlán. The poem does not refer to her last name, so we have to build a concept that her last name has not been found. But where did this "Hua" name come from? In fact, the author who first described "Hua" as Mùlán's last name was from a mathematician as well as an astronomer in the Liu Song and Southern Qi dynasties (Southern Dynasties): Zu Chongzhi. This might be the reason that a dramatist Xu Wei, in the Ming Dynasty, subsequently adapted Mùlán's last name as Hua in his play: "The Heroine Mùlán Goes to War in Her Father's Place." In that play, Mùlán's parents, sister and brother also obtain their names, which have been widely spread so far.

4. 花木蘭有兄弟姐妹嗎？ Do Mùlán have any brother or sister?
精準地說，花木蘭只能當傳奇來看，都是不可考的。然而，如果我們依據最早的文本〈木蘭辭〉來深究，它確實有描述木蘭還有一個姊姊以及一個弟弟，也就是說，木蘭在家中應排行老二。我們可以從〈木蘭辭〉中合理推測，皇帝在徵兵時木蘭的弟弟應剛出生或尚未成年，這才得以解釋當時家中唯一符合徵兵條件的男人只剩木蘭年老的父親。

Specifically, Mùlán can only be seen as a legend, it cannot be verified. Nevertheless, if we take a deep look at the earliest text, the ballad of Mùlán, it does have a description of Mùlán that she has an elder sister and younger brother. That is, Mùlán is possibly ranked as the second child in her family. We can reasonably speculate from the ballad of Mùlán that when the emperor was recruited, Mùlán's younger brother was just a newborn infant or not yet matured. This can also explain the man in her family who met the conditions of recruitment was only her elderly father.

5. 花木蘭隨軍攻打的是什麼敵人？「單于」是人名嗎？ What enemy is Mùlán attacking with her army? Is "Chanyu" a name?

先解釋後者，「單于」不是人名，那是古代中國北方遊牧民族對首領的尊稱。假設花木蘭的確如大部分史學家所推測是北魏時期的人物，那他們攻打的對象有很大機率為北方的遊牧民族「柔然」。柔然與北魏的恩怨複雜，柔然本附屬於鮮卑拓跋部族的一支，後來逐漸壯大後，與北魏互相攻伐，但幾次爭戰後北魏勝出，肅清柔然在戈壁以南的勢力。另外，關於獎賞花木蘭的皇帝，照上述邏輯，有可能為曾擊敗過柔然的北魏道武帝拓跋珪、明元帝拓跋嗣、太武帝拓跋燾、獻文帝拓跋弘，其中一人。

Let me explain the latter first. "Chanyu" is not a person's name. It is an honorary name of the nomads calling their leader in the north of ancient China. Assuming that Mùlán is indeed a figure of the Northern Wei as most historians have theorized, the enemy of their battles is more likely to be a nomadic tribe of the north: Rouran Khaganate. The grudge between Rouran and Northern Wei is truly complicated. The Rouran Khaganate was once attached to the Tuoba tribe of Xianbei. As they gradually expanded, they challenged the authority of Northern Wei. Unfortunately, after several battles, the Northern Wei won, and drove away Rouran from south of the Gobi. In addition, the emperor who rewarded Mùlán, according to the above logic, may be one of the Northern Wei Emperor that defeating Rouran, such as Tuoba Gui, Tuoba Si, Tuoba Tao or Tuoba Hong.

柔然疆域圖
Territory of Rouran Khaganate

Photo by Wiki

下面是一些「迪士尼狂熱者」會提出的問題，這裡也一併解答：

Here are some questions that "Disney Fans" might ask, let's see:

1. 有關於花木蘭的浪漫、愛情故事嗎？ Is there any romance or love story of Mùlán?

沒有 Nope

2. 「木須」和「幸運蟋蟀」是否存在？Do "Mushu" and "Cri-Kee" exist?

當然沒有 Of course they don't

3. 「李翔將軍」是真實歷史人物嗎？ Is captain "Li Shang" a true historical figure?

不是，更何況連木蘭都不確定是否真的存在了 No, not to speak of the authenticity of Mùlán

4. 木蘭那個時代就有煙火了？ Are there fireworks in Mùlán's time?

沒有，火藥雖為中國人發明的，但也是到晚唐時才發現 No. Although the gunpowder was invented by the Chinese, it was discovered in the late Tang Dynasty

5. 為何迪士尼要讓木蘭（不是公主的人）當公主？ Why does Disney select Mùlán (not a princess) as a princess?

以中國上下五千年（用傳說灌水），所有史冊、小說、劇本、詩歌......等等，作為皇帝的女兒，命運幾乎都千篇一律：「和親」，這變相說明了公主的故事能被改編、續寫的可行性可想而知地低。坦白說，我覺得迪士尼能找到木蘭作為題材已相當不容易，迪士尼的公主們都有她們的特色，而故事內容也往往不單只有愛情，吸引人的反倒是她們所彰顯的個人特質。中國並非沒有很棒、流傳於大街小巷的女性故事，像醜婦鍾無艷、 孟姜女哭倒長城、文成公主和親吐蕃、武則天登基為帝、王昭君出塞匈奴......，然後從上述便可發現，這些故事大多都有太濃厚的政治意味，而且往往結局悲慘，相比之下，花木蘭女扮男裝、代父從軍的故事可能較讓西方人眼睛為之一亮。所以，我相信迪士尼對「公主」的定義，也不是純粹指國王的女兒，而是刻意突出公主們的勇氣、智慧、堅定等特質吧！

In five thousand years of Chinese history (that is definitely an exaggeration), all the annals, novels, plays, poems, etc., when they describe the daughters of emperors, the fate is almost the same: "marriage alliance". This simultaneously shows that there are huge limitations adapting the story for these princesses. To be frank, I think it is not easy for Disney to discover Mùlán as a suitable theme for their film. Disney's princesses have their own characteristics, and the content of the story is usually not only love, but also the personal qualities they show forth. Moreover, China does have some great and well-spread stories, like the ugly queen Jhong Wuyen, Lady Meng Jiang crying and making the Great Wall collapsed, Princess Wencheng promoting the sinicization of Tibet, the one and only woman emperor Wu Zetian, Wang Zhaojun departing for the frontier.... We can see from the above, most of these stories have too much political significance, and often end in tragic. On the contrary, the tale of Mùlán of which a protagonist disguises as a man serving in her father's place, may be more attractive to Westerners. Therefore, I believe that Disney's definition of "princess" is not merely referring to the daughter of the king, but deliberately highlights the courage, wisdom, and firmness of these gorgeous princesses!

說那麼多，迪士尼改編的花木蘭的確好看又富有深度。小時候我的爸爸也很喜歡看這部片（當然作為華人，我們都看中文配音版本，看英文版非常詭異），這是他唯一購買的迪士尼卡通錄影帶。每次看到花木蘭的父親與花木蘭在結局相遇時，我爸還會感動流淚，天阿......
澄清大會至此告一段落，下一回我將帶大家真正深入探索最原汁原味的花木蘭，重點是：以國學的角度去切入，讓世界各地的人認識中華文化不僅止於辭藻，而是它背後蘊藏的智慧與價值觀，盡請期待！
In sum, Disney's movie "Mulan", released in 1998, is indeed an awesome and meaningful film. When I was a little girl, my dad liked to watch this film over and over again (of course, as Chinese, we all watch the film dubbed into Chinese. The scene that "Mulan speaks in English" is very weird to us). Mulan is an only one Disney's videotape my dad purchased. When he sees Mulan and her father finally meet in the last scene, he weeps every time... OMG...
The seminar of Mùlán has come to an end. Next time, I will bring everyone to explore the original version of Mùlán deeply. The most important thing is: I will analysis whole ballad through the perspective of Chinese studies, so that people from all over the world can realize Chinese culture not only in flowery language, but in its wisdom and values behind. Please look forward to the next chapter!

→ 下一篇 Next Chapter { Part 2 }

By Zoe Li
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