Hua Mulan is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man. In the story, after prolonged and distinguished military service against nomadic hordes beyond the northern frontier, Mulan is honored by the emperor but declines a position of high office. She retires to her hometown, where she is reunited with her family and reveals her sex, much to the astonishment of her comrades. Scholars are divided on whether Mulan was more likely a real person or a fictional character of legend.
