I personally think that she’s probably based on a real person but heavily mythologized. That tends to happen to historical figures.

@wlewisiii

3 жыл бұрын

This. Same thing with the legend of Mulan.

@baabaaer

3 жыл бұрын

@@wlewisiii I wonder how recent can people be mythologized.

@johnlastname8752

3 жыл бұрын

@@baabaaer you already have people mythologizing Obama, and a lot of Trump's campaign was about building up a mythology around himself (which worked really well in 2016).

@TheStephaneAdam

3 жыл бұрын

@@baabaaer They don't capitalize the Founding Fathers for nothing. Also, there's this weird cult surrounding Trump right now. I don't think it will last, but you never know!

@InfamousAustinT0

3 жыл бұрын

People who are somewhat recent are mythologized. Some Rastafari believe that Haile Selassie(Died just in 1975) was Jesus Christ the literal second coming of Jesus and a lot of the Rastafari religion is based around him. People like Bob Marley claimed to have even seen the holes from the crucifixion on his hands. Rastafari have a lot of beliefs surrounding him and it goes to show how someone even in somewhat recent times can be mythologized. Haile Selassie himself never claimed to be this holy figure or holy at all however and even said people need to be careful about doing that with significant figures. "I have heard of that idea. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them clearly that I am a man, that I am mortal, and that I will be replaced by the oncoming generation, and that they should never make a mistake in assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity."

When you fight someone so hard they turn into an ape

@AlexanderKrasnovIsTheMan

3 жыл бұрын

That happens to me when people try talking to me about cryptocurrency

The Yue Maiden is probably one of China’s first martial arts archetype. Most recorded military/martial personas are more known for their strategic acumen or skills in leading troops in battle. She’s one of the first ones recorded for her martial arts prowess alone.

I was expecting the Yue king to proclaim "From now on, my army shall fight like a girl!"

@kuwaitzain9411

4 ай бұрын

You stupid 😂😂

Maiden of Yue is still alive because she never ages. She is currently making KZread videos under the her new alias Liziqi.

@shanedoesyoutube8001

3 жыл бұрын

excuse me what???

@walden6272

3 жыл бұрын

@@shanedoesyoutube8001 LOL if you haven't seen her check her out. kzread.info/dash/bejne/foiZzKynot2tgLA.html

@maninthehills7134

3 жыл бұрын

She's pretty and domestically skilled. She seems like wife material

@shanedoesyoutube8001

3 жыл бұрын

@Just Tama daaaaafuk

@thisnthat7760

2 жыл бұрын

Ahhh yes

So, Mulan is far more fictional than a swordswoman who fought shapeshifting monkey?

@Seele2015au

3 жыл бұрын

Mulan was the subject of a ballad, much like "Jolene" in the Dolly Parton song.

@shanedoesyoutube8001

3 жыл бұрын

w-wu-wukong??? fighting the yue maiden??? what???

@Gongolongo

3 жыл бұрын

A woman like Mulan existed but specifically Mulan was famous because of a Tang Dynasty play.

@loneronin6813

2 жыл бұрын

I guess you could say one was made into a man, and the other made a man into a monkey :P

@Ryanflees

Жыл бұрын

Mulan was real but the stories in the old opera and songs were too much exaggerated. In reality Mulan’s family was a 府兵制military-farmer(or landowner) class, who were given privileges and lands by the state, they were much more wealthy than the normal peasants and in exchange their duty was to practice military skills and will be called to battle if wars happened. And the state doesn’t provide salaries or supplies for them. They have to bring their own supplies. Like a knight class, Mulan brought her own personal guards and servants from home to the battlefield. So it’s also a reason why nobody else found she was female because she fight with her own squad.

The Maiden of Yue seems to have a story much like a lot of Western mythological figures. (Ancient Greece springs to mind). The characters may or may not ever have existed as actual single individuals, but their stories take on a life of their own. Think of it as being like when movies are adapted from a book and the script writers meld several book characters into one role for the actual film. Those stories themselves become the real "living creatures" They survive like memes on the 'net because they entertain while transmitting ideas. In The Maiden's case, the idea is about fighting with deeper mindfulness as opposed to more direct physical power. It's an idea with long legs.

Knowing some of how history goes, it is likely she did exist; I looked into maiden warriors of Japan and you find some very surprising powerful women in their stories, something I am sure that even amazed the people of their own time and place in history.

@SeeHang

2 жыл бұрын

What’s interesting is that this is more common in Easter history but not so common in western history

@Ilivedbih

Жыл бұрын

​​​​​@@SeeHang Well... There was one very young, saved and amazed the people. Joan of Arc. But the men burned her for "being a witch". Most prob didn't step up because they were scared.

@boboboy8189

4 ай бұрын

In my country Malaysia, we also have female Princess training a group of a 34 widower and 5 males servant and they training everyday which recorded by ibnu battutah. Later on when thai King name rama khamhaeng invading fort of grahi, she with her team manage to breakthrough thai soldiers and they shoots arrow to his chest and when he fell from top of elephant, she chopping thai king's head. Until today, thai still hiding this historical event saying their King lost while he retreat, the truth is hidden for almost 700 years and our historian Just discovered this 13 years ago Most of our historian calling her as our wonder woman. Sadly if feminist knew this story, they will pushed their agenda Just like how hollywood did with Black hawk down event

This is starting to become my favorite channel...after two videos, I subscribed. Keep the great vids coming, my friend. I'll still be here when you reach your 100, 000 subs!

I've never before 'binge watched' a YT channel, but here it is. The topics you cover concerning the Hundred Schools of Thought era are some of the most fascinating topics to me. So much so that I randomly googled "Qin Shi Huang effects on HSOT" and your video popped up and now I'm ten videos deep. And this one on the Maiden of Yue gave me a few new insights as to the historicity of this story. And whether or not she was real, the principles espoused in the "Spring & Autumn Annals of Wu & Yue" concerning the use of yin and yang are quite profound. Did the School of Yin Yang/Naturalists have any connection to military warfare? Great channel-- love it!

That particular maiden appeared at many many places, firstly as Yue Maidenly, then as Mulan then as Wu Zetian then as Jon of Arc, now as Britney Spears...

Imagine Yue Maiden stood before Goujian's army and sang her version of "I'll Make A Man Out Of You"

@Ritercrazy

4 ай бұрын

That would be hilarious.

They should make a Chinese drama about Maiden of Yue. Maybe there is one already.

@maryllthemusicman1318

2 жыл бұрын

there was one made in 1986 called the "Sword of the Yue Maiden", based off the 1970 wuxia novel of the same name

I think the white crane style was also developed by a women and was what influenced Japanese karate

@EzeHSK

3 жыл бұрын

And at least some branches of the style focus on internal aspects a lot.

@djtan3313

3 жыл бұрын

Karate kid makes sense now!

Great video! Loved it. Now I want to go read Sword of the Yue Maiden by Gu Long. One teeny tiny thing, I wouldn't call Wing Chun internal at least not in the classical sense. Then again, it's a bit of a futile debate I'd say. Every style has both aspects and Chu Shong Tin's branch of Wing Chun definitely favors the internal training while some others are more externally focused. It's probably one of those styles which blurr the classic division, like some branches of White Crane and Southern Mantis. Anyways, just discovered your channel and instantly suscribed to it. Thanks!

Hey, your voice sounds a little off in this video. Given how it's approaching allergy season, I hope you're still in good health. :) Keep up these videos!

It likely have a basis in reality, with aspects added to make the tale more fantastic. The part that she was a skilled sword woman I think is the most probable detail to be true. Usually, such details are downplayed rather than added to the recounts of an event.

The most elaborate excuse for being late...I'm going to use similar excuse too next time I'm late.

Plausible or not, I love how straightforward her name is

Wing Chun isn't exactly a Neijia style. As a matter of fact, most styles are a mix of external and internal concepts or techniques. Even Shaolin who we point to as almost purely Waijia, has powerful breathing exercises similar to Daoist Qigong, which is a key Neijia concept. Dealing with force with softness, which I would say is quintessential Neijia, is present in Wing Chun, particularly Chi Sau (the equivalent of Tai Chi's push hands) But it still contains hard blocks and even uses force to dissipate incoming attacks. (like kicking an incoming kick.) I am by no means an expert, but I am a Wing Chun practitioner.

As a student of neijia, this is fascinating. Yes reading the text feels very familiar. The principles it espouses are very similar to the "taiji" classics. Prob written 1000 years later. Amazing.

@TeaSerpent

2 жыл бұрын

The story of Yue Nu was first described in the Shi Ji "Classic of History" (One of the most famous books in Chinese history, something read by anyone with an education). The "Taiji classics" or at least the earliest layer of them, were most likely written over 1700 years later than the first written record of Yue Nu's teaching (or over 2100 years after she supposedly lived.). But the similarity isn't really anything surprising. The teachings attributed to Yue Nu presented in the Shi Ji were famous, you hear them quoted or paraphrased in countless military and martial texts from across China for the last 2000 years. They are quoted or paraphrased in Quanpu from styles all across China. The bigger mystery is why people think the "Taiji Classics" are anything unique. Aside from the later layers being written in a slightly more stuck up scholarly manner they don't say much that wasn't already found in teachings of other arts from around China.

@carlkim2577

2 жыл бұрын

@@TeaSerpent I was referring to the so called salt shop manual written by Wang Zongyue. That manual has specific applications of martial arts. Not philosophical musings going back centuries. It's considered an essential distillation if martial principles that are real and practical. The only comparable text was written by yang chengdu. Both texts are practical understandings of actual fighting techniques.

I like your channel, have lots of interesting videos..

she is the first practitioner of ninji-tsu with move like that. in fact, many yue people migrated to Japan due to sea trade route between China and Japan.

@luishernandezblonde

3 жыл бұрын

There are two kinds of Yue people: the northern Yue people who now belong to the plain of Hong Kong, Liangguang and Fujian. They form the main bulk of migration to Japan as you say. The second Yue group belong to the Vietnamese territory today. About it all, northern Yue people have always made me fascinated for their cultural similarities with Vietnamese and northern Han Chinese. They are like a mix.

She's real in our hearts and that's all that matters.

Hey (: Do you think the origin/history of the Shaolin could be a potential topic you have any interest in covering? I know you plan to release a video weekly so I would understand if you have them all planned out in advance As for the Maiden of Yue I feel like because information becomes distorted over time perhaps she was real but each few generations her story changed slightly eventually elevating her to myth status

@CoolHistoryBros

4 жыл бұрын

Sure. I can look into it. The history of martial arts is also a topic I am interested in.

@diphyllum8180

3 жыл бұрын

Swordsage did a good video debunking the pseudohistory around Shaolin a few years ago. It'd definitely be cool to see this channel cover this material. Most of what people "know" about Shaolin is entirely fictional kzread.info/dash/bejne/eGdkrLNrdcKzZZM.html

Can you make a documentary about the spring and autumn period of zhou dynasty? i really like your content

Where can I read about her martial arts?

Am I the only one who's waiting for her to be added into FGO as a heroic spirit?

@CoolHistoryBros

3 жыл бұрын

Not another Saberface!

@Saberlena

3 жыл бұрын

Infinite Saber Works you see it's a double entendre because a sabre is also a sword and wait where are you going

Is her technique preserved? Can it still be learned for my daughter?

During the warring periods there was no time for internal styles; swordsmen weren't living long enough to "theorize", their techniques had to be practical.

@carlkim2577

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. The distinction between internal vs external is a recent formulation by Sun Lutang.

The Jin Yong short story was well written.

@Itsjustavy

3 жыл бұрын

Guess I dont need to send you this video :PP

Didn't Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha) turn this into a short story?

@peterwindhorst5775

3 жыл бұрын

Yes.

Was that Red who made the maidens voice? Anyways, it is hard to say if she was real, made up or based on several real persons when we only have a single book written so long after. Basically, we need more information and it is possible that some new information pops up like that awesome sword did that sheds new light on the story. She is certainly a plausible character even if the monkey story screams myth. The worst thing with old history books is that they rarely quote their sources so we don't know if the author based the story on older works, songs or stories shared mouth to mouth. If he used an older historical book as reference I would say she is certainly real if the book is written close to her lifetime but oral stories and song are more unreliable. That doesn't mean that if that is his source we could say she didn't exist, we certainly seen oral stories like the viking sagas have at times been proven to be based on truth in archaeology and Homer didn't make up Troy but both sources there certainly made up some characters. I would say she is likely based on one or several persons but any specific thing should be taken with a grain of salt. There is so much history that require more information.

Judo practitioner here! I'm looking forward to your kung fu videos!

Do a video on Ng Mui & Yim Wing Chun pleases...

I plugged the link to the original text into Google Translate and got this mess: Seeing King Yue, King Yue asked, "What is the way of a husband's sword?" The female asked, "A concubine grows in a deep forest, grows in an uninhabited field, has no way, never learns it, and does not reach the princes. The way of stealing and attacking is endless. Concubines are not subject to others, but suddenly they have themselves." Yue Wang said: "How is the way?" The female said "The way is very small and easy, and its meaning is very quiet and deep. The way has a door, and there are also yin and yang. Open the door and close the door, and the yin declines and the yang flourishes. The way of hand warfare, the inner real spirit, the outer reveals the peace, see She is like a good woman, she is like a fearful tiger, she is like a tiger, she is like a sun, like a rabbit, chasing her form and shadow, she is like a Buddha, breathing, unable to forbidden, vertical and horizontal, backward and forward, Straightforward and indifferent. One person who is a Taoist person is a hundred, and a hundred people are a million. If the king wants to try, he will see it." Yue Wang Dayue, that is, add a female number, and the nickname is "Yue female." She is the captain of the fifth school. , Gao Cai Xizhi, to teach sergeants. At this moment, the sword of the Yue girl

@---iv5gj

3 жыл бұрын

The website literally translates plus explains each and every word for you when you mouse over each word in the passage. but sure, google translate gives fun times

Small talk is a great historical narratives.

I guess, spring and autumn could be expressed as rise and fall, or even life and death, thus a cycle of existence

@HighPriestFuneral

3 жыл бұрын

While poetic, that can't quite be the meaning. The original Spring and Autumn Annals ends with the King of Wu ascendant over the other lords (no more different than events in the past) (other versions do end with Confucius' death, admittedly upon the sighting of a Qilin) and... that's it. It is a very curious book as it is obvious to tell that it was finished just in the midst of a relatively normal time during the era. Though the name literally refers to the recording of the events that happened in the intervening time between the last spring and last autumn. If we get into the Spring and Autumn Annals with Mr. Zuo's commentary, that's when the work becomes a lot more detailed and incredibly impressive, still that ends (properly) with one of the states being embarrassed by Wu and regretting not using one of their other ministers to meet with the King of Wu.

Can you guys make more videos about women in ancient Asia

I practice Wing Chun too, but definitely Ng Mui and maybe even Yim Wing Chun might also be mythical. No one in WC’s lineage above Leung Jan was recorded with an actual birth/death year and place of ancestry.

@carlkim2577

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I read an account by a martial arts historian in China. And he visited the village where it was first taught. The locals told him that the story Yim Wing Chun was a fairy tale. They're actual account says a man from another province who excelled at staff fighting taught them the art.

@teovu5557

2 ай бұрын

99% of Chinese martial arts history is false myth and legends per Chinese tradition. Example if I was in ancient China and invented a martial arts style I would link it to a famous historical character and build a story around it. At least that is what chinese martial arts researchers believe

"Spring and autum", rise and fall, beginning and ending......

The only reason to dismiss historical accounts is if there be contradictory or paradoxical elements

Fantastic!!!! Is Mu GuiYing and the 14 Amazons also a Legend? I hope not.... 😭😭😭

@shanedoesyoutube8001

3 жыл бұрын

The what??? Chinese amazons???

@TeaSerpent

2 жыл бұрын

Well the Yang family of that story is real, although I think they may have made up more family members than there were. They were actually descended from a tribal leader in southwestern China. Some of his descendants joined the military and after a couple generations fighting in northern China and marrying local women they had adopted Han culture and become a major military family. Other Yang family members stayed in southwestern China and Yang clan members are still found among local Tujia, Miao, Han, and other ethnic groups in the Guangxi / Hubei / Sichuan border region. They can be differentiated by other families named Yang in that they still preserve the same generational poem. Unfortunately though Mu Guiying is not found in any records and is known to be a fictional creation of the Ming dynasty. Although for that matter Ng Mui is a fictional creation of the 1890's and Yim Wingchun is a fictional creation of the early 20th century. Well kind of Yim Wingchun is mostly just a Republican era ripoff of the fictional character Fong Wingchun from the same 1890's book that Ng Mui comes from.

This story is between king Helu and king Gaujian. If i am not mistake. During the Sun Tzu times. A brilliant military strategist.

7:32 the guy with your voice made me laugh so loud! 🐟

I think she is similar to Mulan and is a figure based upon several people of that time

@peterwindhorst5775

3 жыл бұрын

There is a theory there was more than one Mulan - 1. Yue Nu, martial artist (who used Qi - who trained with a stick against a white gibbon) and heroine of the Yue State. Fate = suicide, posthumous goddess. 2. Northern Wei Dynasty (not Mongolian, but a Xianbei Tartar States. The Xianbei was added to the Mongols much, much later) Fate = prostitute. 3. Red Sleeved Maiden, Tang Dynasty. Fate = happy ending and marries a famous General (Tulou is possible in Sui / Tang transition for Mulan). 4. Other women whose names were lost to history (in one of these many, many versions - Mulan's father was quite rich and with said wealth, she bought herself armor and outfitted her own regiment). Fate = Unknown. Then along came the Yuan, Ming , and Qing Dynasties - which combined them into a single personage much like our King Arthur. They combined her into a single person due to Han Chinese nationalism - they did not like being ruled by a foreign dynasty and needed a hero that could kick the asses of the villains of the week.

Legends often have a basis in historical fact.

Yuenu trained in forest so look up name of forests in yue

There were viking women warriors. We found their graves with top quality armor and weapons. Also the female general of song. Who defeated armies for 26 years.

I was a little surprised that your list of female warriors didn't include Lady Wang from the later Han - were her exploits alongside her husband Cao Ang more fiction than fact?

I notice Mu Guiying is not on the list of female warrior, is she real historic figure or fiction.

I need an anime of this

@Jumpoable

3 жыл бұрын

Lots of Chinese novels & TV series based on the Yue Maiden already.

@lt4374

3 жыл бұрын

@@Jumpoable name some series please.

Historycally she may be the first swordwoman recorded. Though there could have existed many others before her that didnt enter in records os history

Internal and external martial arts are just modern terms. These principles can be applied to all chinese martial arts.

No smoke without the fire

Haaaaaaaave any movies depicting the Maiden of Yue been produced? Please be a Shaw Brothers or early Golden Harvest thing.....

The maiden sword might have some cause to it born. I think at that time, Majority of Wu force might have some fighting strength skill than Yue forces. So the Yue side took much effort to find a better way in sneak attack. Not directly crush on strength fight.

Sword maiden is mentioned. The only way to find out the truth is to visit this time. Myself have seen many things unexplained, I believe the Sword Maiden was there. Can I look any where else for more information about this Sword Maiden...?

Very likely.

Fan has some good eyes for spotting excellent girls.

Maybe if our technology one day became reality, we can time-travel back to the ancient era to find out weather she really exist or not.

@vitorpereira9515

Жыл бұрын

According to physics, you cannot travel to a period before the creation of the time machine.

@elgatto3133

Жыл бұрын

@@vitorpereira9515 Well time machines violate the conservation of mass anyway if we're bringing physics into the equation

Sounds legit. But is she hot? I bet she was very beautiful.

I mean techincally the amazons appeared first all the way before 1100 bce, so I would say no.

I don't know if what do you mean by Swordswoman, do you mean a woman warrior or a the first woman who use a real sword to fight? If you mean a woman warrior looks to me 婦好 Fu Hao （？－1200BC）already done that, there were 130 weapons found inside of her tomb.

I think the person is fictional. She could be a representative description of someone like Xi Shi, who was used as a distraction against the King of Wu. She is deceptive, just like what her sword play is written, and to King of Yue she is more powerful than any sword, any army. But of cos, it is best to read what the book writes to find out whether it is a illusionistic, poetic description or describing something real.

Might be the realistic Mulan

A remnant of southern Yue martial arts matriarchy.

The effects of her or the legend of her are what they are... it doesn't matter if she existed or not, she is real now... as real as anyone dead so long thier corpse is long gone... so it doesn't matter.

Sychian women aka amazons?

is that...red?

She was most likely a cardre of female fighters/ bodyguards mashed together into a single story.

Sounds like an anime plot.

I'm sorry I have to ask.. Which part of your source does it mention that the Maiden of Yue actually fought the Yue soldiers/swordsmen with a bamboo stick? Because all the sources that I've seen mentioning her beating Yue soldiers and commanders down with a bamboo stick all comes from a fictional novel... And the only time that is cited in her chronicles that she used a bamboo stick against an opponent is when she was tested by an old man, which is also extremely unreliable as that old man can magically some how turn into a white monkey lol

'She's so cute in this vid 🐖 my dream girl

everything else in your video is great but the history of kung fu is actually not that easy and on point.

The Yue people were, broadly speaking, more egalitarian on gender than their northern neighbors, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see a female military instructor of some kind. There's almost certainly some embellishment as you find with most historical figures from that era, but I dont think it's implausible that she was based on a real person. Of course historians from around this time were not above just making things up sometimes, so it's also very possible she is a complete fabrication.

If maiden of yue really exited....I guess king Goujian will not use Xi Shi to seduce king Fu chai..??He will simply let her assassinate him,isn't it!!!

- I think that she existed because back in the 5th century bc they were, circa, 2500 years removed from modern feminism so they had no reasons to lie or attribute to a woman something that someone else did, imo.

Let’s use Chinese medicine muscle testing to find out

好家伙越女剑，大兄弟知识面很广啊

No, there were swords long before that...

Wing Chun is external, not internal. With internal styles, the practitioner doesn't tense their muscles before the punch makes an impact, but in Wing Chun, you have to tense your muscles to exert maximum force.

@UGRdelver

3 жыл бұрын

Are you a wing chung practitioner? I would say it is internal art. Every movement is very subtle and compact, without internal principle to generate power it will just be a weak movement. I doubt it will be effective if you rely on external power using wing chun. At the moment of impact you have to tense your muscle, just for a split second. It is called Fa Jin. Similar to whipping action.

I learned about this story from a Jin Yong short story fan translated. I didn’t know it had a basis in Chinese history, however.

she is first sword woman :)))

I have no trouble believing in her.

Possible...but I'm sure her feats were embellished and exaggerated.

a.k.a first Mary Sue

Swords Maiden of Yue.... Ji YanRan!!! 😂

SHAOLIN VS WUTANG DURING CHINESE CIVIL WAR

If real, she was on another level, taking on and defeating "1000 elite armored swordsmen."

@danishlim

3 жыл бұрын

@A̐manjol M̐əmbetjanūlı its history dumbass

@danishlim

3 жыл бұрын

@A̐manjol M̐əmbetjanūlı kid talking like every country in the world is honest 🤡

@danishlim

3 жыл бұрын

@A̐manjol M̐əmbetjanūlı then why bother to watch, why don u go watch some white propaganda 🤡

Are you sure that all these clothes and all are accurate? Wasn't she wfrom "bayue" and therefore not a chinese person? Shouldn't she and others have some tattoes and all? Repectively shorter hair?

@Samperor

3 жыл бұрын

I think it will be too much work to add all the details.lol

she's way better than mulan

Definitely not the first swordsman given the ancient near east was the first civilization in the world.

越女劍

maiden of yue is real, but only real as a person not as a powerful swordwoman I think maybe she is only yue king's tool for boost his army morale

I think it's likely she existed in some capacity, though her lack of traces is concerning... You'd think a woman of that caliber getting hired by a king to train an army would end up getting married to a high noble or general... But her life as a hermit, no official name or family... it's suspicious to say the least. Allow me to theorize a bit: what if she was just a very effeminate man or a trans woman? Ran away from home at a young age, having no intentions of following the path laid by her family and being malnourished while she learned to fend for herself, giving her a slender silhouette while she learned to fight for survival. Maybe the whole woman part was also a part of the survivor skill, make people underestimate her. And what if her secret was discovered by a horny noble? That would explain why she left no trace, either she'd got erased or ran away before she got in more serious trouble? Guess we'll never know... She might just be folklore too and I'm trying too hard to explain her lack of traces in history. Or maybe someday they'll unearth the ruins of her house and find her blade, proving without a doubt that she really existed...

@pursuitolikes5217

2 жыл бұрын

There were no transwoman then...don't let these modern day identity politics cloud your judgement...there were women who were truly capable throughout Chinese history...the Chinese woman emperor Wu Jetian was coronated in 690 AD and ruled with an iron fist, though women had a different role throughout Chinese history, mostly in a complementary role to men...I think this swordswoman Yuenu existed and was exceptional, otherwise there wouldn't be any reason to write about her as military affairs and warfare were almost always dominated by men.

Mulan even if she existed was just a trooper, nothing high rank, besides the entire time she supposedly served she was never exposed as a woman, so no one would actually knew at the time, she must be really flat chested haha, and even if she let her comrades know years after, as the poem suggested, it’s not like they will go and out her, after all what she did was far from legal

Silat was invented by a woman so yeah its real.

Not real

mythological figures are often designed for psychological effect at the time. may be based on someone real, maybe not. the idea that your enemy is being trained by the most based legendary counter-meta sword fighter is terrifying