Once upon a time, there lived a girl in ancient China named Mulan. Her father used to be a general(将军)who was too old and weak to fight, but not too old to teach her how to ride a horse and use a sword. Girls usually did not learn these skills at that time. But Mulan's father believed everyone should know how to fight, even girls.
One day, the emperor(皇帝) sent soldiers to Mulan's village. Because the war was coming, men were needed for the army. The military(军队的) leader of the soldiers put up a list of names in the village square. Each name represented (代表) one man from each family.
Mulan saw her father's name on the list. She knew her father couldn't fight in a war. Mulan's brother was a little child. There was only Mulan who could take her father's place. But the army did not take girls as replacements (替代者) for fighting men.
Quietly, the next morning, before her father could report for duty, Mulan stole her father's armor (盔甲). She dressed up herself as a man. The soldiers accepted "him" in "his" father's place. Mulan was very careful over the years. No one found that she was a girl. When the war was over, Mulan received a special award from the emperor for her great courage. The emperor gave her a horse and a bag of treasure (财宝).
Her family greeted her with joy. Her brother was pleased with the gift for her military clothes. Mulan dressed once again in the clothes of a woman. That evening, Mulan and her family got together to watch sunset.
Two of the men who had worked with Mulan stopped by her home on their way home. When Mulan greeted them, they could not believe their eyes. One of them shouted, "Are you really Mulan?"
After recalling (回想) many memories. They finally believed that Mulan was a woman. They spread Mulan's story across China and it inspired many young women, who wanted to ride a horse and use a sword.