St Mary's Calne
As the Chinese New Year celebrations drew to a close on Wednesday 12 February, the Academic Enrichment Week activities run by the MFL Department centred around The Ballad of Mulan, a poem said to have been composed during the era of Northern Wei in approximately 400 AD. The Ballad began as oral tradition and was passed down for over a century until it was finally preserved in written form during the Tang dynasty.
“We travelled together for twelve years,” (they say),
“But we never suspected that Mulan was a woman!”
Most people tell the gender of a rabbit by its movement:
The male runs quickly, while the female often keeps her eyes shut.
But when the two rabbits run side by side,
Can you really discern whether I am a he or a she?
The poem has inspired countless retellings across the world in many different languages. Our Fourth Formers remembered with great fondness seeing the Disney adaptation of Mulan, as children, before watching the more recent live-action movie released in 2020. The UIV were encouraged to delve deeper into this tale of bravery, honour, and filial piety, and ask questions about the true origins of this iconic and legendary figure: ‘is she the work of fact or purely fiction?’, ‘How did she pretend to be a man at war for so long [12 years]?’, ‘Are there still differences between being a boy and a girl, now?’, and ‘What is the legacy of Mulan in the present and for the future?’
The UIV then turned their minds and creative talents to crafting their own model version of a terracotta warrior, with prize for the best figure awarded to Lapo. The full set of figures will be on display soon in the MFL Department.
After break, Year 6 from St Margaret’s, LIV, MIV and selected LV and UV joined us in the Delscey Burns Theatre for a captivating production written and performed by Michelle Yim of Red Dragonfly Productions.
Woman, warrior, Legend.
For ten years Mulan disguised as a man, has fought for the Chinese Empire, but now the fighting is coming to an end, one last battle and she will be going home – but can she return to her old life, become a woman again? A search for identity in a violent world.
(Extract from RedDragonflyProductions.co.uk)
The mesmerising production gave us food for thought on the themes of identity, what our future hopes and dreams may look like, and the expectations that society places upon us collectively and as individuals.
After the show, feeling inspired by the play, the LIV enjoyed some traditional Chinese games, with special recognition given to Ysa’s team. The MIV designed beautiful and intricate Chinese porcelain plates. Winner: Catrina. With the help of the fabulous English Department, the UIV drafted a reimagining of the Mulan story for modern times. Winners: Anna and Georgia. We hope to submit some of these stories for The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition, which is open now. Best of luck to our UIV writers!
Mrs Leonie Moylan, Head of MFL