Hua Mulan is the traditional name of the heroine in the Chinese legend behind Disney’s Mulan.
The oldest widely known literary source is “The Ballad of Mulan,” a narrative poem preserved in written form centuries after the Northern Wei period. In the ballad, Mulan takes her father’s place in military service and serves for many years before returning home.
Disney uses the family name Fa for its heroine, calling her Fa Mulan. “Fa” is a Cantonese-style rendering associated with the Mandarin surname Hua, and the film reshapes the traditional material for an international animated audience. The Disney character therefore has a different presentation from the legendary figure while retaining the central act of filial devotion.
The name is sometimes given as “Fa Mulan” when discussing the film and “Hua Mulan” when discussing the legend. Those names refer to related but distinct cultural versions of the heroine. The canonical traditional name is Hua Mulan.