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Mulan
LifestyleEntertainment

Liu Yifei disappoints as Mulan – meet five actresses who nailed the role of the legendary Chinese warrior

  • Vicky Zhao Wei battles for the man she loves in 2009 film Mulan, and was praised for showing Mulan’s mental struggle in fighting as a man in disguise
  • Cynthia Khan, Anita Yuen, and Elanne Kong are among the actresses to have acquitted themselves well in the role in TV series in recent years

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Liu Yifei plays the title character in Disney’s Mulan. Her performance has been described by critics as formulaic and wooden. Five other actresses acquitted themselves better in the role in recent years. Photo: TNS
Elaine Yau

When Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei beat nearly 1,000 contestants to snag the eponymous role in Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan in 2017, she became one of the most bankable Chinese names in showbiz overnight.

With a budget of US$200 million, hopes were high, especially in China, that the Hollywood blockbuster – and Liu – would fully flesh out this legendary character in Chinese culture. Sadly, no one is holding their breath any more.

The movie, which also stars Gong Li and Donnie Yen Ji-dan, was criticised on many fronts – from its generally poor handling of Chinese culture to choosing Xinjiang as one of the film’s locations, where widespread rights abuses against the region’s Muslim population have been reported. Liu is not spared either, as her turn has the heroine has been described by critics as formulaic and wooden.

This is a shame, given Mulan is a much-loved character. A long list of actresses have played the role in TV series and films over the years to critical acclaim. Here are five memorable performances worth revisiting.

Vicky Zhao Wei in Mulan (2009)

The negative reviews for the latest version of Mulan have prompted internet users in China to re-watch Mulan, a 2009 live-action remake directed by Jingle Ma Cho-shing.

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