MULAN CHARGES INTO CHINA; DISNEY SCALES THE WALL AS BEIJING APPROVES MOVIE'S RELEASE.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

The great wall between Beijing and Hollywood was breached Monday as the Chinese government announced it will allow The Walt Disney Co.'s ``Mulan'' to be shown in theaters later this month.

Disney said a Mandarin-dubbed version of the animated hit, which has grossed about $300 million worldwide, will begin showings Feb. 23 after the weeklong lunar new year holiday ends. Martial arts star Jackie Chan will be the voice of Shan-Yu, the film's chief villain, and other prominent Asian actors also are participating.

``Mulan,'' based on a Chinese folk story of a young woman who disguises herself as a man to fight off Hun invaders, had been blocked from the world's most populous nation since its release last summer due to China's anger over Disney's 1997 release of ``Kundun.'' The Martin Scorsese film, which did poorly at the domestic box office, detailed the life of the Dalai Lama and China's occupation of Tibet.

``I think `Mulan' will be well-received in China because the story is really ingrained in their culture,'' said Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant who has worked on Chinese projects for more than a decade. ``The movie takes some artistic license but I think they'll enjoy it very much.''

The Chinese government currently allows 10 American films in per year on a revenue-sharing basis but Disney has not been in the market since 1996's ``The Rock.'' Its animated movies have not been seen there since ``Toy Story'' and ``The Lion King.''

China has offered little comment on its policy toward ``Mulan,'' which was based on a 12th century poem. A spokesman for Disney said the length of the movie's stay in China will be decided by the state-run China Film monopoly.

The decision to relent on ``Mulan'' could represent a thawing of resistance to American movies in China. The Motion Picture Association of America recently said China's system included heavy taxes and an ``unwritten system of quotas'' for movies, home video and TV programs.

Burbank-based Disney does not stand to make much money initially from ``Mulan'' since the company's after-tax share of revenues is estimated to be 25 percent of box office receipts. Admission prices may be as high as $3 in China's major cities but elsewhere are likely to be 5 or 10 cents.

Disney is also widely believed to be exploring the possibility of creating a theme park near Hong Kong. No timetable has been set, but analysts say it would take at least a decade.

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PHOTO (Color) no caption (Scene from ``Mulan'')

The Walt Disney Co.