DISNEY GIVES OLD TALE NEW LIFE.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

Like most schoolchildren growing up in Taiwan, Angela Lew studied the ancient poem of a daring female warrior named Mulan.

Lew, now a librarian at California State University, Northridge, still can recite the ballad of the young woman who disguised herself as a man to replace her ailing father in the Chinese army.

``Shoulder to shoulder through 12 years of war . . .

He never knew I was a girl,'' Lew would sing in school.

Since she immigrated to the United States in 1966, Lew thought little of that childhood tale - until now.

``Mulan'' - the Disney full-length animated adaptation of the ancient Chinese tale - opened in theaters nationwide Friday.

While the story will be familiar to Lew and other Chinese-Americans, most other Americans will be exposed to the heart-tugging moral legend for the first time.

Despite the saga's popularity in China and Chinese-American homes, historians never have been able to prove its authenticity.

``The story is based on an anonymous poem. We don't know when it dates,'' said professor Ronald Egan, chairman of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Like the poem, the Disney story team set the tale in Imperial China during its battle with the Huns.

Fact or fiction, Mulan's heroism has captivated generations of children - even before her story was Disneyfied. According to the poem, Mulan was the second daughter of an Imperial army veteran. Her father became ill and could not return to service as military conscription required.

Saved her father

To save his life, Mulan went in his place. She slipped into a man's army uniform and left for the battlefields. She would not return to her family for more than a decade.

For historians, the Mulan poem offers a glimpse into Imperial Chinese society. The ballad most likely was penned at a time when roles of Chinese women were limited. Women couldn't choose their husbands.

``In ancient society, women were always home and couldn't go to school. So the story of a woman in war who was made a general was very fascinating,'' Lew said.

Some historians even refer to Mulan as China's first feminist figure. ``It's a story of gender reversal, gender crossing,'' Egan said.

Despite nuggets of history tucked in the Mulan story, some Chinese-Americans worry moviegoers will view Mulan as an important symbol of Chinese culture and history. They say the Mulan tale, although enchanting, doesn't quite stack up to, say, the Cultural Revolution and communism. And even those modern milestones are mere blips in a history that's dominated by the rise and fall of dynasties dating back thousands of years.

``The real history and background (of Mulan) is very vague and fuzzy. It really doesn't matter a whole lot,'' Lew said. ``It's just a popular, legendary story that parents tell their children.''

In fact, many of the details surrounding the original Mulan legend initially eluded Disney staff. Among the experts Disney sought to firm up the basic storyline three years ago was Lew, an active member of the San Fernando Valley Chinese Cultural Association and CSUN's China Institute, which features a revolving door of visiting Chinese scholars and artists.

The studio also tapped visiting CSUN artist Baohong Cheng for help. The well-known Chinese artist provided 12 sketches of Mulan in the Chinese folk art tradition. His watercolor paintings depict a tall, sophisticated Mulan at home and in the battlefield.

Timeless appeal

Disney's final version of Mulan looks decidedly younger and less-assured. She's cute. She's spunky.

No matter her look, the story's final legacy may be its timeless appeal among children.

Educators still teach the legend of Mulan in some Chinese literature curricula abroad. Some Chinese and Chinese-American parents pass along the Mulan story to plant values not only of independence and individuality but also of a daughter's loyalty to her parents and country.

``The story of Mulan is to praise a girl for her love for her aging father and her courage to go into the military and her patriotism,'' Lew said.

Actress Ming-Na Wen, Mulan's voice in the film, has known the girl hero since she was young.

``My mom would tell me stories about Fa Mulan. I grew up with her. I remember her being kind of . . . Wow! What a cool chick! I remember her bravery,'' said Wen, whose credits include the film ``The Joy Luck Club'' and the television series ``The Single Guy.''

That oral tradition will quickly be surpassed by the hype surrounding Disney's big summer offering for kids.

McDonald's will serve ``Mulan'' Happy Meals with plastic figurines of the soldier girl and her combat horse. In a television special Tuesday night, ice skater Michelle Kwan performed to ``Mulan'' music.

Parents already are buying their girls ``Mulan'' beach sandals, shoes, outfits and other assorted trademark items.

The Alex Theater in Glendale will feature a 30-minute live performance of ``Mulan'' before each movie screening until July 5.

And in the fall, the Beijing Opera is scheduled to return to CSUN to perform ``Mulan,'' a production complete with the company's trademark acrobatic stunts.

Lew plans to see both the opera production and Disney's film. After all, the Chinese ballad she learned as a child still rolls off her tongue.

``The he-rabbit tucks his feet under to sit./The she-rabbit dims her shiny eyes./Two rabbits running side by side./Who can see which is the he and which the she?''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1--2--Color) Baohong Cheng's paintings of folk hero Mulan, left, inspired Disney.

Disney Enterprises Inc.

(3--Color) CSUN librarian Angela Lew shows Baohong Cheng's

paintings of Mulan, the Chinese legend behind the film.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News