Hua Mulan or Fa Mulan (Chinese: t 花木蘭 s 花木兰) is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a poem known as the Ballad of Mulan (木蘭辭). This poem is thought to be based on Fu Hao. In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for twelve years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown instead.The historical setting of Hua Mulan is uncertain. Xu Wei's play version from the 16th century places her in the Northern Wei dynasty (386–536), whereas the later romance Sui Tang Yanyi has her active around the founding of the Tang, ca. 620.[a] The novel is consistent insofar as it describes Mulan's father as stemming from the people of the Northern Wei.The Hua Mulan crater on Venus is named after her.