The legend of Mulan, as popularised by Disney, is one version of female emancipation in ancient China: women sometimes had to disguise themselves as men to get things done. This also serves as the premise of a love story between Yingtai and Shanbo. Set some time between the third and fifth century CE, our heroes met at a private school in eastern China. The two were equals in their intellectual pursuits and treated each other like brothers, except unbeknownst to Shanbo, Yingtai was actually female.
When Yingtai finally revealed her identity and feelings towards Shanbo, the latter was flabbergasted. He finally came to terms with his own emotions – a little too late in the course of the story – for Yingtai was betrothed to a wealthy merchant. Grief overpowered Shanbo, deteriorated his health, and the hero passed away prematurely. Upon visiting Shanbo’s grave en route to her own wedding, Yingtai struck her head on the headstone and died. Butterflies emerged – a sign that the two souls were reunited in the afterlife.
