What is the name of the Chinese ballad that inspired Mulan?

The Chinese ballad that inspired Mulan is called The Ballad of Mulan.

The poem tells of Mulan taking her elderly father’s place in the army after he is summoned by a military conscription. She disguises herself as a man, serves for years, and declines an official position when the emperor offers her a reward. At home, she changes back into women’s clothing, surprising the comrades who had served beside her without realizing her identity.

The ballad is associated with the Northern Wei period, traditionally dated from 386 to 535 CE. Its earliest written transmission is complex: an early sixth-century compilation is cited as a source, but the oldest surviving text appears in the later Music Bureau Collection, compiled during the Song dynasty. Because the original historical setting and authorship are uncertain, Mulan is generally treated as a legendary or folkloric figure rather than a securely documented historical person.

Disney’s 1998 film adapts the ballad freely. It retains the central act of replacing Mulan’s father and disguising herself, but adds characters such as Mushu, the Matchmaker, and Captain Li Shang, along with musical numbers and a different dramatic structure.