How do we see gender equality in Mulan's story?

Are there any of you who do not know the story of Mulan? This was one of our childhood tales, am I right? For those who are unaware of this story, let me tell you. This story is mainly about a girl named Hua Mulan who had to disguise herself as a boy to join the conscription due to one of the imperial posts that Rouran soldiers had attacked under the leadership of Bori Khan. She did that because the Emperor of China issued a conscription decree ordering each family to contribute one man to fight the Khan's forces. In the Hua family, only one man is the father, Hua Zhou. Mulan’s father was a retired soldier, but he is already aged and no longer capable of fighting. He wanted to force himself, considering he was the only man in the family. However, Mulan had already sneaked out before he left, bringing the father’s sword, armor, and horse.

Talking about Mulan, she is an adventurous girl who is brave and independent. Not the ordinary brave girl. Mulan’s mother, Hua Li, said, “I ask you, what man will want to marry a girl who flits around rooftops, chasing chickens?” At this point, she could have been called a 'crazy' girl. Her traits contradict the stereotype of a ‘girl’ in China back then. A girl in that social circumstance must have the ‘girly’ behavior. Alternatively, maybe the right word to describe it is ‘elegance.’ A girl is not allowed to ride a horse, fight, use a sword, or even do something as simple as exploring nature. A girl must stay home, cook, dress up, and when they grow up, they must marry a man and leave their hometown. I think this kind of paradigm still occurs in our society today. In many civilizations, including China, men are still considered superior to women despite everyone playing roughly equal societal roles. It implies that men have the authority to dominate women. As a result, women cannot govern their lives and are forced to comply with all male commands without having the option to do so (Azizah & Fitri, 2019).

 

At the story's beginning, Mulan is forced to meet an old woman, a matchmaking agency at that time, to show her 'quality' to be a wife. Nevertheless, she messed it up because she panicked when a spider suddenly came out of nowhere. As a result, the matchmaker lady got furious and even called her a family disgrace. This is the first scene that shows how strong the power of a gender stereotype is and how society defines a man or woman. If girls cannot act elegantly, they cannot get married because no man wants to marry them. Moreover, if they cannot match, they cannot bring honor to their family. That is the belief they had. The typical Chinese girl is quiet, elegant, and polite. They were controlled by the patriarchal system so that a girl was seen as weaker than a man. It can be said that there is no way a girl can go to military service or even war. That is why the command from the emperor is to send a “man” from the family. However, Mulan chooses this action not because she wants to be a ‘man’ nor enjoys it, but because his father would have no hope of living if he went to war in his current condition and to save her family’s honor.

 

After Mulan left the house, she continued to disguise herself as a man to enter the barracks and participate in training. Of course, the disguise can be challenging. She almost got caught several times by her campmates and also her superiors. As we all know, ‘almost’ is never ‘enough.’ She succeeded in hiding her identity. Until the peak of the war, she decided to reveal her identity to her fellows. Everyone was surprised, of course. Though actually she should have been beheaded, Mulan was only expelled by her superiors, considering she is the best soldier among them. However, with her braveness and loyalty to the empire, she begged to be given a chance. With a heavy heart, her commander finally gave her the opportunity and let her lead the troops. This was the revolutionary moment when finally, for the first time in the Dynasty Tang women were a leader. A patriarchal society would not easily accept the idea of a powerful woman who acts as a male and does heroic things, but because Mulan’s actions defended that society and the preexisting cultural paradigm, they slowly surrender their ego that women should not control men and follow Mulan's directions.

 

If you think that Mulan is the only female character who supports the gender equality issue, nope, there is another one. Her name is Xianniang. Interestingly, this character is actually one of the villains in the story. Like Mulan, she also had the power to use ‘chi’ even more powerfully than men. We can say their background is similar, but they have a different path of life. While Mulan is still with her family, Xianniang does not have one. She lived a life of exile after people knew her power. The more she demonstrated her power, the more she was judged. It could be said that women who have power stronger than men do not have a place in society. This patriarchal society basically led her to plunge into a despicable life. The societal stigma against witches made her an outcast even though she was a strong witch who longed for love and acceptance from society. Once she is not accepted anywhere, then she wants to destroy ‘that’ society. She wants Mulan to join her, but of course, Mulan denies it. At the end of her life, Xianniang decides to help Mulan by leading her to Bori Khan and wants to allow Mulan to change the gender role system.

Just like the typical story, the protagonist won. The winning of Mulan’s leadership led her to be offered to be the emperor’s guard, but she declined it. She wants to go back to her family. However, as expected, society sees Mulan as a disgusting traitor when she returns to the village. The social paradigm there still exists, obviously. Until the envoys from the emperor came bringing a new sword and asked Mulan if she wanted to join the Imperial Army as an officer. This was the moment when everyone realized that Mulan had done something significant to the empire. She had made a big change in the society. Her sacrifice not only saved her family and the entire empire but also changed the norms that had existed since time immemorial. She proved that the perspective that “men are stronger than women” is not always true. Men and women have the same degree and opportunity to participate in society. Without feeling arrogant or condescending, Mulan, with her courage, verified that women can also be great leader who leads men’s squad.

 

From this story, we can take the lesson that men and women have the same opportunity to take a role in society. Not to be forgotten, women who feel powerful must continue to behave within their limits. Not to oppress another gender role so that the phenomenon of reverse patriarchy does not occur.