Loyal – In the both film, citizens are expected to be Loyal to the Emperor. The virtues are central to the film’s overall plot and are threaded throughout the story. The Chinese characters of Loyal, Brave, True, are inscribed on Mulan’s father’s sword in the live-action version.

I have no background in either of the Chinese languages (Mandarin/Cantonese), let alone ancient Chinese, so I have no reference for the translation’s accuracy. Mulan‘s origins date back to a Chinese poem, ‘The Ballad of Mulan,” believed to be composed during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD) over 1500 years ago. Watching it now as an adult, I’m transported back to my youth and reminded of many fond memories. Mulan’s animated version holds a special place in my heart as it was a sleepover-staple for me and my friends. I was hooked from the initial trailer, and fell in love with the movie while watching it in the theater. When Disney released their animated version of Mulan in June of 1998 I was 14 and about two years into my heavy East Asian/anime obsession phase.

Nina tribus loyal brave true