A Story About Courage And Love: Mulan, Origin Of The Myth

Written by Maria Giglio

Are you a big fan of Disney movies? I am and will never feel too old to freshen up some Classic from time to time. Mulan is no exception.

About 20 years ago, way before Kung Fu Panda, another Chinese warrior broke into the movie scene, Mulan.

As for many other movies, Disney takes inspiration from a folk legend for the script, the Chinese epic poem named Ballad of Mulan.

The Ballad dates back to 500 A.D. but only became popular after its transposition in written texts during the late Ming. Just like in the movie, the story talks about a girl, Mulan, who goes to war disguised as a man.

In a time when enemies are threatening invasion at the Chinese border, the Emperor calls for one male for each family to join the army. The call is not refutable.

In the Hua family, the only man eligible is Mulan’s father Hu, since the other male, Mulan’s brother is just a kid. Hu is a decorated veteran, though too weak and old to survive. Concerned with her father’s fate, Mulan decides to replace her father and secretly leaves to join the army, pretending to be a man.

Incredibly smart and brave, not only Mulan succeeds to deceive her comrades until the end, but she also proves to be an excellent fighter and most of all a brilliant war strategist.

Thanks to her skills, Mulan gains the respect of the Commander in chief and becomes his closest adviser, leading soon Chinese Army to victory.

To show gratitude to Mulan the Commander offers her his daughter’s hand, thus forcing Mulan to reveal her real identity: possibly the most beautiful woman in China, whose beauty is only second to her braveness.

With Mulan release, Disney was trying to promote a brand-new idea of woman, thus breaking with a long tradition of harmless princesses waiting for rescue. In Mulan, the message is particularly powerful, since the story itself tracks the change of Mulan’s condition from innocent girl to strong woman. Rather than a dragon surrounding her tower, this new kind of woman has a dragon as a pet!

About Interact China

“A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide!”

Aileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 13 years of solid experience in e-commerce via InteractChina.com, we are well positioned to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and directly bring you finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste.

So far we carry 3000+ goods covering Ladies Fashion via ChineseFashionStyle.com, Kungfu Fashion, Home Furnishings, Babies & Kids, Painting Arts, Textile Arts, Carving Arts, Tribal Jewelry Art, Wall Masks and Musical Instruments. Our team speak English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, and serve customers worldwide with passion and hearts.

P.S. We Need People with Similar Passion to Join Our Blogging Team!
If you have passion to write about Oriental Aesthetic in Fashion, Home Decor, Art & Crafts, Culture, Music, Books, and Charity, please contact us at bloggers@interactchina.com, we would love to hear from you!

Winter Kung Fu Camps for Kids

Lots of kids have a break from school over winter, here are a few options for winter break Kung Fu camp to build their martial arts skills!

Tai Chi Kung Fu Montreal is hosting two sessions of Kung Fu day camp for kids during the winter, the first session is between December 27^th-30^th, and the second session is between January 2^nd-6^th. Camp is from 9am-4:30pm, with daycare hours available before and after camp. Kids of all Kung Fu skill levels are welcome to join!

One Martial Arts is hosting an award-winning winter day camp for kids between the ages of 4.5-12. Kids will be able to participate in Kung Fu instruction and other fun activities like dodge ball and arts and crafts. This camp make it its explicit mission to “teach your child valuable life skills such as focus, confidence, teamwork, respect, manners, discipline and fitness are way cool.”

MT.Kim Martial Arts runs the first Martial Arts Camp to be founded in Central Virginia and caters to children age 4-12 with an offering of half-day and full-day camps during winter, spring, and summer breaks. Kids will have plenty of opportunity to learn Kung Fu, and also be offered exciting field trips to local parks, pools, and theaters.

Written by Amber @ InteractChina.com

Posted by Yuqing@ InteractChina.com

About Interact China

“A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide”

Aileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 12 years of solid experience in e-commerce via InteractChina.com, we are well positioned to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and directly bring you finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste.

So far we carry 3000+ goods covering Ladies Fashion, Tailor Shop, Home Furnishings, Babies & Kids, Painting Arts, Textile Arts, Carving Arts, Tribal Jewelry Art, Wall Masks and Musical Instruments. Our team speak English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, and serve customers worldwide with passion and hearts.

P.S. We Need People with Similar Passion to Join Our Blogging Team!
If you have passion to write about Oriental Aesthetic in Fashion, Home Decor, Art & Crafts, Culture, Music, Books, and Charity, please contact us at bloggers@interactchina.com, we would love to hear from you!

Kung Fu Trivia

Answer Key 1) c 2) a 3)c 4)d 5) d.

Posted by Yuqing@ InteractChina.com

About Interact China

“A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide”

Aileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 12 years of solid experience in e-commerce via InteractChina.com, we are well positioned to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and directly bring you finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste.

The life of a Shaolin Kung Fu Kid

In China, some parents will send their kids away to train in kung fu as early as three years old! These kids work really hard, starting training at 5:30 in the morning and ending around 8 o’clock at night. These kids eat a vegetarian diet and also participate in Buddhist religious training, meditation, and chanting throughout the day. They keep their hair shaved and have to wear special kung fu training robes during their classes. They may only get to see their parents for one month a year during important holidays, and their kung fu masters take the place of their moms and dads while they’re away learning and training.

The kids train in kung fu while improving their physical and mental stamina. It’s tough work, but by the time they are 18 they are highly skilled warrior monks and have a strong knowledge of kung fu practice and philosophy. This is a prestigious education in China, and graduates can go on to become performers, members of the police or military, or could go on to teach kung fu themselves, either in China or around the world.

What do you think of the Shaolin Kung Fu Kids? Would you like to grow up in a Shaolin training school?

Written by Amber @ InteractChina.com

Posted by Yuqing@ InteractChina.com

About Interact China

“A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide”

Aileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 12 years of solid experience in e-commerce via InteractChina.com, we are well positioned to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and directly bring you finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste.

Benefits of Kids Learning Kung Fu

When you practice Kung Fu, you make your mind and body stronger. The moves you learn might be fun, but Kung Fu can teach you a whole lot more than that! Here are some of the good things that happen when kids learn Kung Fu:

1. Improved Focus – The original meaning of ‘kung fu’ is ‘any skill that takes hard work and dedication to obtain.’ It takes a lot of concentration and practice to become really good at Kung Fu, especially today, when it is so easy to be distracted by TV and the internet. Kids who learn Kung Fu know how to put aside those distractions so that they can become the best they can be!

2. Improved Fitness – Kung Fu lessons can be a holistic exercise for the mind and body, and kung fu can build core strength, cardiovascular health, and flexibility. Attending the fitness benefits are self-defense skills that could be helpful if your child should ever have to defend him or herself.

3. Friends- Although Kung Fu isn’t necessarily a team sport, you can still make a lot of new friends in your classes. When you spar with a partner you both can share your love of Kung Fu!

4. Improved Self confidence – Self esteem is important for mental well being. The strength, coordination, skills, and friendship kids can build while practicing kung fu will translate to greater confidence in other areas in their lives as well, such as at school.

5. Improved Conflict Resolution – Kung Fu helps you gain self-discipline and self-respect, so you know you don’t actually have to fight in order to solve a problem. Kung Fu teaches that if someone says mean things to you, you can ignore them or use conversation to talk about why those words are mean and how you don’t like being talked to that way.

Overall, Kung Fu has a lot to teach kids- and adults!- about improving mental and physical health and social skills. How have your Kung Fu lessons helped you in your daily life?

Written by Amber @ InteractChina.com

Posted by Yuqing@ InteractChina.com

About Interact China

“A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide”

Aileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 12 years of solid experience in e-commerce via InteractChina.com, we are well positioned to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and directly bring you finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste.