Editing Mulan (1998 film) (section)

===Reception in China===
Disney was keen to promote ''Mulan'' to the Chinese, hoping to replicate their success with the 1994 film ''[[The Lion King]]'', which was one of the country's highest-grossing Western films at that time. Disney also hoped it might smooth over relations with the Chinese government which had soured after the release of ''[[Kundun]]'', a Disney-funded biography of the [[Dalai Lama]] that the Chinese government considered politically provocative.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chinese unimpressed with Disney's Mulan|work=BBC News|date=March 19, 1999|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/299618.stm|access-date=June 11, 2012|archive-date=January 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112150826/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/299618.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> China had threatened to curtail business negotiations with Disney over that film and, as the government only accepted ten foreign films to be shown in China each year,<ref>{{cite news|title=Foreign Films in China: How Does It Work?|url=http://chinafilminsider.com/foreign-films-in-china-how-does-it-work/|agency=China Film Insider|date=March 2, 2017|access-date=April 28, 2018|archive-date=April 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429092950/http://chinafilminsider.com/foreign-films-in-china-how-does-it-work/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Mulan''{{'}}s chances of being accepted were low.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hollywood hopes more movies will follow Clinton to China|author=Michael Fleeman|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.tibet.ca/en/newsroom/wtn/archive/old?y=1998&m=7&p=12_2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705114829/http://www.tibet.ca/en/newsroom/wtn/archive/old?y=1998&m=7&p=12_2|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-07-05|year=1998}}</ref> Finally, after a year's delay, the Chinese government did allow the film a limited Chinese release, but only after the [[Chinese New Year]], so as to ensure that local films dominated the more lucrative holiday market.<ref>{{cite news|title=China Allows Disney Film Screening|last=Kurtenbach|first=Elaine|agency=Associated Press|date=February 8, 1999|url=http://www.tibet.ca/en/newsroom/wtn/archive/old?y=1999&m=2&p=8_5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610074601/http://www.tibet.ca/en/newsroom/wtn/archive/old?y=1999&m=2&p=8_5|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 10, 2011|access-date=June 23, 2007}}</ref><ref name=mulan>{{cite web|title=China vs. Hollywood : the BBC World Service talks to me|author=Shelly Kraicer|url=http://www.chinesecinemas.org/bbc.html|date=August 14, 1999|access-date=June 23, 2007|archive-date=June 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621122322/http://www.chinesecinemas.org/bbc.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Publications have reported that critical and audience reception in China was negative overall,<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith-Wong |first=Katie |date=May 31, 2017 |title=Can a Mulan Live-Action Movie Work? |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/can-a-mulan-live-action-movie-work/ |access-date=January 20, 2024 |work=[[Den of Geek]] |quote=The overall reception from Chinese audiences was negative}}</ref> who accused Disney of westernizing the tale.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yinmeng |first=Liu |date=September 6, 2020 |title=Mulan remake finally out－with Chinese characteristics |url=https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/142365 |access-date=January 20, 2025 |work=[[China Daily]]}}</ref> Box office income was low, due to both the unfavorable release date and [[Intellectual property in China|rampant piracy]].<ref name=":1" /> Chinese people also complained about Mulan's depiction as too foreign-looking and the story as too different from the myths.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chinese unimpressed with Disney's Mulan|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/299618.stm|date=March 19, 1999|access-date=June 23, 2007|archive-date=January 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112150826/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/299618.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |author=Langfitt |first=Frank |date=March 5, 1999 |title=Disney magic fails 'Mulan' in China |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-05-03-9905030250-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215103419/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-05-03/features/9905030250_1_disney-s-mulan-sui-dynasty-chinese |archive-date=February 15, 2013 |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref>