Mulan: Holding Up Half the Sky presents episodes from 2500 years of Chinese history, as seen through the lives of four outstanding women warriors: Hua Mulan (5th Century), Hongxian (9th Century), She Saihua (12th Century), and Qiu Jin (early 20th Century). Episodes from their stories are portrayed in a fluid, shifting landscape with various styles of puppetry (including rod, hand, shadow, fabric and object manipulation), music, dance and traditional Chinese opera. The text, based on classical Chinese literature and opera sources, is presented in English and Mandarin, and is designed for both family and adult audiences.
Mulan: Holding Up Half the Sky premiered in 2014 and has since been performed at the Eugene O’neill Theater Center (CT), Flushing Town Hall (NYC), and the National Puppet Festival at the University of Connecticut.