<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Old Chinese </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Baxter--Sagart (2014) </Th> <Td> * qwhʕra C. mʕok - k. rʕan </Td> </Tr> <P> Hua Mulan (Chinese: 花 木蘭) is a legendary woman warrior from the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420--589) of Chinese history, who was originally described in a ballad known as the Ballad of Mulan (Chinese: 木蘭 辭; pinyin: Mùláncí). In the ballad, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army . She was a beautiful woman who was very strong, and was known for practicing martial arts such as kung fu and for being skilled with the sword . Mulan fought for twelve years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown instead . </P> <P> The historic setting of Hua Mulan is in the Northern Wei . Over a thousand years later, Xu Wei's play from the Ming dynasty places her in the Northern Wei (386--536), whereas the Qing dynasty Sui Tang Romance has her active around the founding of the Tang c. 620 . In 621, the founder of the Tang dynasty was victorious over Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, the latter was the father of Dou Xianniang, another female warrior who became Mulan's laotong in the Sui Tang Romance . </P>

When did the story of mulan take place