Chinese Culture In Mulan And The Three Kung Fu Panda Movies

Mulan and the three Kung Fu Panda movies are all movies enjoyed by American children and adults alike. However, several Chinese have not had the same warm reception of these movies as the majority of Americans have, especially Mulan. Though there are some correct Chinese elements and culture facts in all four of these movies, there are also things Disney and DreamWorks got wrong with regards to Chinese culture upon making them. How is this so?

Let’s look first at Mulan. In Mulan we witness part of the Chinese match making ceremony and the main protagonist, Mulan, getting ready for this ceremony. Here there were a few things Disney got right. For one, they made the match maker a female, which in traditional Chinese culture the matcher maker

Feifei Wang, author of the article: How is Disney 's Mulan perceived in China, describes Mulan as, “a straight out American movie decorated with Chinese accessories to make it interesting and exotic.” One reason for this is the process of Mulan trying to find her true self throughout the movie. Chinese audiences received this as Mulan promoting herself above the others instead. While people in China see the importance refining yourself by exercising self-control, diligence, and cleverness, they believe that you should do that unpretentiously. That you should blend in with crowd; not stick out from it. Alongside this reason another reason arises. The Mulan portrayed in the classic Disney film is too feminist for Chinese tradition. To a Chinese person Disney’s Mulan does not see a strong, independent woman who can do what a man can do as good character. Rather a bad character who disregards vital aspects of Chinese culture by committing such acts as: running to army in her father’s place without permission and falling in love on her own accord/not having an arranged marriage set up by a match maker. Both of these actions would have unthinkable, especially for a woman, within traditional Chinese culture. And it would be considered more a part of Western culture not East Asian. Later made Chinese version of Mulan did not focus on gender issues, but on

The artwork and setting of these movies possessed a great deal of Chinese influence in it from the landscapes to the buildings to the fireworks to the acupuncture to the distinctive Chinese foods. DreamWorks also did well with handling Chinese Kung Fu and culture. They kept the pronunciation of various Kung Fu terms accurate. Not just that, but they even designed the characters of Crane, Mantis, Tigress, and Viper after various forms of Chinese boxing and martial arts. Then the Kung Fu Panda movies carry the Chinese notion of suitable teaching which was concept Confucius taught. This Chinese concept deals with having an appropriate person teaching you and working hard on your own. Po is shown putting forth hard work and efforts towards learning Kung Fu, and Shifu becomes the right master to instruct him in the proper ways of Kung Fu. Also, upon watching the three movies, the was a sense of noticeable filial piety present. Po and the Furious Five respect their master, Shifu, and Shifu respects his master, Oogway, even against his own adopted son’s favor. Each of these make up aspects of the movie which reflect true Chinse culture and