Who is the real Mulan? No, not Agnes Chow

It is ridiculous to hear that Agnes Chow Ting, a well-known organizer of the violence and chaos that victimized Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for almost a year since June 2019, was hailed as "Mulan" by some of her supporters.

Chow has not shown a single virtue comparable with that great heroine in Chinese legendary history.

When her homeland was under siege from outside enemies, Mulan stood up to fight them, the greatest sign of loyalty.

When her father was too old to serve in the battlefield, Mulan went instead, showing her filial piety.

Yet Chow had done exactly the opposite. As early as 2017, in a public speech in Japan, she claimed that it was difficult for her to admit her identity as a Chinese. Later she openly called for foreign "help", or intervention, in Hong Kong affairs. It is not excessive to say she betrayed her nation and the place of her birth.

In the violence that swept through Hong Kong in 2019, thousands of rioters, some misguided by Chow's speeches, damaged public utilities, attacked residents on their way to the office, and destroyed the jobs of their parents. These carriers of violence betrayed their fathers' generation under the guidance of Chow, which is contrary to Mulan.

Moreover, the mobs consider themselves anything but Chinese. In their violent "protests" they held flags of the US and the UK. Why would they choose to hail one of their leaders as a heroine in Chinese legends? There are hundreds of Chinese heroines; why pick Mulan?

The reason is simple: Mulan is a well-known symbol in the West. With the Hollywood movie Mulan underway, Mulan is widely recognized by Western audiences, so Chow's supporters hoped to cultivate a good image in the West.

See? Those who hail Chow as Mulan don't really respect the culture of their own motherland; they only care about the feelings of Westerners.

Some of them also claimed that every woman in Hong Kong is Mulan. They are wrong, but the statement is partially true: There are many heroic women in Hong Kong who emulate the spirit of Mulan.

Among them are policewomen who defended innocent people from violence, female office workers who continued doing their jobs to support the city's prosperity despite violence, female cleaners who kept the streets looking neat as the violent "protesters" tried to ruin them, as well as mothers who persuaded their children not to engage in violence.

They are the true heroines of the Hong Kong SAR. Hong Kong is full of hope because of their contributions.