"[first lines] [narrating] There have been many tales of the great warrior, Mulan. But, ancestors, this one is mine. Here she is. A young shoot, all green... unaware of the blade. If you had such a daughter... her chi, the boundless energy of life itself... speaking through her every motion... could you tell her that only a son could wield chi? That a daughter would risk shame, dishonor, exile? Ancestors, I could not."