Mu Guiying (穆桂英) is a

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

ary

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

from ancient China's Northern

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

and a prominent figure in the ''

Generals of the Yang Family ''The Generals of the Yang Family'' is a collection of Chinese folklore, plays and novels on a military family from the earlier years of imperial China's Song Dynasty (960–1279). The stories recount the unflinching loyalty and the remarkable ...

'' legends. She is the wife of

Yang Zongbao Yang Zongbao (楊宗保) is a character in the '' Generals of the Yang Family'' legends. In these largely fictionalized stories, he is the son of general Yang Yanzhao and Princess Chai, the husband of Mu Guiying and the father of Yang Wenguang ...

and mother of

Yang Wenguang Yang Wenguang (; died 1074) was a general in ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty. In history, Yang Wenguang was the son of Yang Yanzhao, however, he is the grandson of Yang Yanzhao in the popular fictionalized stories of Yang clan warriors. ...

. Brave, resolute and loyal, Mu is the

cultural symbol A cultural icon is a person or an artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen as an authentic ...

of a steadfast woman.

Legends

Mu Guiying practiced martial arts from a young age after her bandit father Mu Yu (穆羽) who ruled the Muke Fortress (穆柯寨). One day Yang Zongbao, the youngest warrior of the illustrious Yang clan, came to the fortress demanding the Dragon-Taming Wood (降龍木) on the order of his father, Marshall Yang Yanzhao. Mu refused so they fought in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

which resulted in Yang Zongbao being captured. While Yang Zongbao refused to surrender and demanded death, Mu found herself attracted to her prisoner and boldly made a

marriage proposal A marriage proposal is an event where one person in a relationship asks for the other's hand in marriage. If accepted, it marks the initiation of engagement, a mutual promise of later marriage. It often has a ritual quality. Traditional propo ...

, which Yang Zongbao eventually accepted. After Yang Zongbao returned and reported the events, an infuriated Yang Yanzhao ordered the disgraced son executed. To save Yang Zongbao, Mu came out of the fortress and engaged in a battle with Yang Yanzhao, also capturing him. Mu apologized to her future father-in-law and finally Yang Yanzhao agreed to the marriage and welcomed Mu to his family and troops. Mu played a huge part in the following battle against the

Khitan Khitan or Khitai may refer to: *Khitan (circumcision), the Islamic circumcision rite *Khitan people, an ancient nomadic people located in Mongolia and northern China *Liao dynasty (916–1125), a dynasty of China ruled by the Khitan Yelü clan **Nor ...

forces, especially in breaking their previously unstoppable Heavenly Gate Formation (天門陣). Mu Guiying had 2 children with Yang Zongbao, son Yang Wenguang and daughter Yang Jinhua.

Legacy

Mu Guiying is sometimes venerated as a

door god Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the ...

dess, usually in partnership with

Qin Liangyu Qin Liangyu (1574–1648), courtesy name Zhensu, was a female general best known for defending the Ming dynasty from attacks by the Manchu-led Later Jin dynasty in the 17th century. Early life and education Qin Liangyu was born in Zhongzhou (� ...

. The Mu Guiying crater on Venus is named after her. During China's Great Leap Forward period (1958-1960), Mu Guiying was widely praised and a women-led Mu Guiying

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

was established. In the graphic novel '' Boxers'' by

Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: ''Yáng Jǐnlún''; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions a ...

, the character Mei-wen transforms into Mu Guiying. CITED: p
209
!--https://books.google.com/books?id=L7VqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT217 is page 209, so-->

Portrayal in films and TV series

Ivy Ling Po Huang Yu-chun (born 16 November 1939 in Shantou, Republic of China), known by her final stage name Ivy Ling Po, is a retired Hong Kong actress and Chinese opera singer. She is best known for a number of mega-hit Huangmei opera films in the 1960 ...

in ''

The 14 Amazons ''The 14 Amazons'' is a 1972 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film directed by Cheng Kang and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. The award winning film featured a predominantly female cast. The story is about the female generals of the Yang Family. Ove ...

'' (1972) *

Liza Wang Elizabeth "Liza" Wang Ming-chun SBS (born 28 August 1947), is a Hong Kong diva, actress and MC. She is a personality in Chinese-speaking communities. She has been nicknamed "The Big Sister" in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.Xinhuanet.Xinhu ...

in ''Young's Female Warrior'' (1981) *

Bonnie Ngai Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That i ...

in ''A Courageous Clan: Mu Kuei-ying'' (1989) * Zhang Yujia in ''Generals of the Yang Family'' (1991) * Mak Ging-ting in ''

Heroic Legend of the Yang's Family Heroic Legend of the Yang's Family (碧血青天楊家將) is a 30-episode 1994 Hong Kong TV series produced by ATV, based on the legendary '' Generals of the Yang Family''. Plot In a fierce battle against the invading army of its neighboring coun ...

'' & ''

The Great General The Great General (碧血青天珍珠旗) is a 30-episode 1994 Hong Kong TV series produced by ATV. It is the sequel to the series ''Heroic Legend of the Yang's Family'', featuring mostly the same cast. Plot Long existed the legend that one can ...

'' (1994) *

Amy Chan Amy Chan Sau-man (陳秀雯) is a Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer, notable for starring in the ''File of Justice The File of Justice (壹號皇庭) is a series of Hong Kong legal drama produced by TVB. There were 5 seasons produced, t ...

in ''

The Heroine of the Yangs ''The Heroine of the Yangs'' (穆桂英) is a 2-season ATV series aired in Hong Kong in 1998, starring Amy Chan as the titular heroine Muk Gwai-ying of the Yang (Yeung in Cantonese) family. It is an adaptation of the '' Generals of the Yang Fa ...

'' (1998) *

Ning Jing Ning Jing (; born April 27, 1972) is a Chinese actress and singer. She is best known for playing Milan in ''In the Heat of the Sun'' (1994), Danzhu in ''Red River Valley'' (1997), Angel in ''Lover's Grief over the Yellow River'' (1999) and Empre ...

in '' Legendary Fighter: Yang's Heroine'' (2001) * Fang Xiaoli in ''The Fire Commander'' (2001) * Wang Si-yi in ''The Heroine Mu Guiying'' (2004) *

Cecilia Cheung Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi (in Chinese 張栢芝, born 24 May 1980) is a Hong Kong actress and cantopop singer. Cheung is considered a "Sing girl"—an actress who first received media attention through starring alongside Stephen Chow, and later w ...

in ''

Legendary Amazons ''Legendary Amazons'' is a 2011 Chinese film based on the stories of the Yang Clan Generals. The film was directed by Frankie Chan and starred Richie Jen, Cecilia Cheung, Cheng Pei-pei, Liu Xiaoqing and Kathy Chow. The film is based on the sam ...

'' (2011) *

Miao Pu Miao Pu (born 22 February 1977) is a Chinese actress. Biography Miao was born in a family of actors in Xi'an. Her parents are both Qinqiang actors. When she was five years old, she firstly performed on the stage with her parents in the play, " ...

in ''Mu Guiying Takes Command'' (2011) *

Siqin Gaowa Siqin Gaowa (, Mongolian Cyrillic ''Цэцэнгуа'', born 19 January 1950), born Duan Anlin, is a Chinese-born Swiss actress. She was born in Guangzhou to a Han Chinese father and a Mongol Chinese mother. Her father died when she was 4, she was ...

in ''Bai Yutang'' (2013)

References

Additional sources

* *
Yang Jia Jiang (Generals of the Yang Clan)
{{Authority control The Generals of the Yang Family characters Chinese goddesses Deified Chinese people Women in war in China Women in Chinese mythology Women in medieval warfare Chinese female generals