Mulan’s got company – 6 more female martial arts masters from Chinese fiction and folklore
Classic wuxia novels such as Legends of the Condor Heroes and The Smiling, Proud Wanderer are packed full of fierce female fighters, while the legend of Nie Yin’niang inspired the hit movie The Assassin, starring Shu Qi
We are all familiar with Disney’s Mulan and her heroic story, but did she really exist in history? First appearing at a poem in Northern Wei dynasty, Mulan’s identity remains a mystery.
One thing is certain, though – Chinese literature is not short of heroines like Mulan, and these female kung fu masters from martial art fictions are just as iconic.
Huang Rong (黄蓉)
Huang Rong, or as known in some English versions, Lotus Huang, is probably the most popular female character of all Chinese martial art fictions. As one of the two leading characters in Louis Cha’s milestone novel A Hero Born: Legends of the Condor Heroes, Huang Rong appears not just as a supporting character for the main guy – her very existence brings the story to life.
When Huang Rong first shows up in the story, she is dressed as a muddy beggar in rugs – just like Mulan, Huang Rong disguised herself as a man. When she finally reveals her identity, her beauty not only captured the love of her life, Guo Jing, but also us readers.
But her stunning look only explains a fraction of why we love her. She is intelligent, mischievous, lively, bold and an excellent cook that can win over any “frenemy”. Most important of all, she not only has top-notch kung fu skills, but uses them to protect her country and the people, which makes her one of the few female roles that earned her name as respected “Xia”.
Zhao Min (赵敏)
Born as a Mongolian princess in the Yuan dynasty, Zhao Min – from the novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong – is not at all a conventional princess. She could lead armies and assist her father in politics. She imprisoned martial artists from different sects, tricked them into fighting each other, while secretly learning their techniques. She fell in love with her rival, pursued him and even disrupted his wedding, eventually winning his love.
She is ambitious, outspoken and intelligent. She is also selfish, sneaky and arbitrary. As skilled as she is, Zhao is not the traditionally respected kung fu master, because she does not join the mainstream, does not respect any rule and does not play by the book. But her fearlessness is what makes her charming – she follows her heart in everything and always fights for what she desires.
As the protagonist in Liang Yusheng’s novel Legend of the White Haired Demoness, Lian Nishang is one of the few female characters who has a martial art fiction novel dedicated to her name, and she deserves it.
Born an orphan and raised by wolves, Lian develops a brave and strong personality, and is never afraid to challenge authority. Using her legendary sword skills, she battles injustice, helps the underprivileged and fights corrupt officials. But because of her brutal and aggressive way of torturing enemies, she is nicknamed “demoness”.