Hua Mulan is a heroine in ancient Chinese legend, she served in the army for her father, did not return for 12 years, and made great achievements, but she did not want to be rewarded, only to go home.
Her story has been compiled into "Mulan Ci" by later generations, which has become a classic of the Chinese nation, and has also been adapted into film and television works many times, which has been widely circulated.
However, what you may not know is that Mulan's real life and fate are actually more exciting and tortuous than the legend. She really doesn't have the surname Hua, what is her real surname?
The story of Mulan was first recorded in a narrative poem during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and this poem is the famous "Mulan Ci".
The author and time of the poem's composition are unknown, but based on the content and style of the poem, it is speculated that it was written by an unknown poet during the Northern Wei Dynasty during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, around the fifth century.
However, later scholars have a general consensus and a more precise understanding that it was written at the end of the Northern Dynasties.
At that time, the emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty constantly recruited soldiers in order to fight against the strong enemy Rouran in the north, which made the people miserable.
Mulan's father was a veteran who was too old and weak to go to war again. Mulan's younger brother is still a child, he is not an adult, and he cannot serve in the army on behalf of his father.
Seeing her father's predicament, Mulan couldn't bear it, so she decided to disguise herself as a man and fight for her father.
The poem "Mulan Ci" depicts the heroic deeds of Hua Mulan serving in the army for her father, as well as the high wind and bright festival that she does not want to be rewarded to go home, the language is simple and vivid, the emotions are sincere and touching, and it has high literary value and artistic charm.
This poem was not widely circulated at first, and it was not until the time of Chen in the Southern Dynasty that it was included in a ** history book "Ancient and Modern Music Records", compiled by ** Liu Xiyi.
Since then, this poem has become well-known to people, and has also been borrowed and adapted by later literati and artists, and has become a classic folklore.
Therefore, the wide spread of Mulan's image is also due to this "Mulan Ci".
Some people think that of course Mulan's surname is Hua, but we still have to study it according to the background of the era in which Hua Mulan lives.
But have you noticed that in the poem "Mulan Ci", Mulan's name has only two words, that is, "Mulan", and her surname is not mentioned.
We often call her "Mulan" now, but in fact, this is a creation of later generations to highlight her feminine features and beautiful image.
The first to add the surname "Hua" to Mulan was the Ming Dynasty writer Xu Wei, who said in his play "Female Mulan Joins the Army on Behalf of Her Father", and also arranged for her a father, a sister and a younger brother, all surnamed Hua.
Xu Wei's plays were so popular that they influenced later literati and artists, who used Xu Wei's narrative to refer to Mulan as "Mulan" when adapting Mulan's story.
Therefore, the name "Mulan" is a fiction of later generations, and it is a kind of beautification and endowment of the original "Mulan" name.
There is also a saying that Mulan's surname is "Mulan".
As mentioned above, "Mulan Ci" was first included in a ** historical book "Ancient and Modern Music Records" by Chen of the Southern Dynasty.
The compiler of this book was a monk named Shi Zhijiang, who lived during the Liang and Chen dynasties of the Southern Dynasty, not far from the era when the Mulan Ci was born and spread.
He didn't introduce much about the author and content of "Mulan Ci" in the book, but simply said:"Mulan, unknown. ”
The meaning of this sentence is that Mulan's name and background are not known, so it is very likely that Mulan is her surname.
In addition, the Northern Wei Dynasty was founded by the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei people, a nomadic people in the north who had their own unique culture and customs, one of which was their surname.
The surname of the Xianbei people is often composed of two characters, which is called the compound surname. For example, Murong, Dugu, Changsun, Tuoba, Yuwen, Yuchi, and so on.
Since the compound surname of the Xianbei people is very common, the surname Mulan is likely to be a compound surname of the Xianbei people, rather than a one-word surname.
The last theory is that Mulan's surname is "Wei".
Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Yuan Hong, in order to sinicize the Xianbei people, ordered to change the Xianbei surname. According to the history and legends of the Xianbei people, he selected ninety-nine surnames as the new surnames of the Xianbei nobles, which is the ninety-nine surnames of Xianbei.
The surname Mulan is not included in it, which shows that it is a lowly surname and is not respected and valued by the Xianbei people.
And "magnolia" means paddock. The hunt in the magnolia enclosure was mainly done by slaves from the bottom, who did not have their own surnames and no identity of their own, and were only toiled for the entertainment of the royal family.
Some of them may have used "Mulan" as their last name, or their code name, indicating that they are deer hunters in the paddock.
Due to the perennial hunting, Mulan must have been born with a strong physique, quick movements, and good at riding and shooting, so she has the hard conditions to serve in the army for her father.
Therefore, Mulan, who is a low-level person, does not have a surname, and these people generally take the name of their country as their surname, so it is very possible that Mulan's surname is "Wei".
The author thinks it is very likely to be true.
Shangqiu County Chronicles is a local chronicle of the Qing Dynasty, one of which is dedicated to the deeds of Mulan, an ancient heroine.
Based on the "Mulan Ci" and other historical materials, the book makes a detailed record of Mulan's name, place of origin, life, merits, and descendants.
It is said that after Mulan returned home, she showed her identity as a daughter, and the emperor knew that she was very fine, so he wanted to make her a concubine.
Mulan was unwilling, and repeatedly refused, but the emperor insisted on going his own way and wanted to forcibly seal the concubine.
Mulan felt so desperate that she hanged herself on the beams of her home.
In order to commemorate Mulan, later generations built the Mulan Temple in her hometown.
During the period of Tang Gaozong, she was posthumously awarded the title of "General Kaoli". **10,000 Fans Incentive Plan