New picture book tells story of folk legend

There are a thousand Mulan in a thousand people's eyes.

A traditional heroine in China, Mulan was first documented 1,500 years ago in a poem during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581). As the only child of an aging war veteran, she defied the convention and laws that women cannot be soldiers, and disguised herself as a man to join the army in lieu of her feeble father.

The story of Mulan has since been told by generations in different forms. The latest is Disney's live-action film, which was scheduled to be released on Friday.