World Book Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate literature and the power of storytelling. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or a parent, it’s always exciting to choose a character from a favorite book to dress up as for the day. If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are five great characters from Chinese literature that would be perfect for World Book Day at school.
We are not sure if she’s a real person in history, but her story can be found in an ancient poem:
Mù lán shī
《木兰诗》 (节录)
Jī jī fù jī jī, mù lán dāng hù zhī. Bù wén jī zhù shēng, wéi wén nǚ tàn xī.
唧唧复唧唧，木兰当户织。不闻机杼声，惟闻女叹息。
Wèn nǚ hé suǒ sī, wèn nǚ hé suǒ yì. Nǚ yì wú suǒ sī, nǚ yì wú suǒ yì.
问女何所思，问女何所忆。女亦无所思，女亦无所忆。
Zuó yè jiàn jūn tiē, kè hán dà diǎn bīng, jūn shū shí èr juàn, juàn juàn yǒu yé míng 。
昨夜见军帖，可汗大点兵，军书十二卷，卷卷有爷名。
ā yé wú dà ér, Mù lán wú zhǎng xiōng, yuàn wéi shì ān mǎ, cóng cǐ tì yé zhēng.
阿爷无大儿，木兰无长兄，愿为市鞍马，从此替爷征。
More: Listen to an audio version of the poem here
The Ballad of Mulan (Excerpt)
Chirp chirp, again chirp chirp (the katydids). Mulan is weaving near the door. One cannot hear the sound of the loom. Only are heard the sighs of the girl.
Were you to ask what of she was pondering. Were you to ask what of she was recalling. The girl would be without such ponderings. The girl would be without such recollections.
(Other than) last night, seeing the military notice. The Emperor was building a great army. The military documents were twelve scrolls long. And scroll after scroll had father’s name.
Dear father had no grown son. Mulan had no eldest brother. She promised to go to the market for horse and saddle. Henceforth would she serve in place of her father.
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
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Dress up idea # 2: Mulan on the way to the war
Difficulty: 
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Tang Sanzang is one of the characters in the Journey to the West, he is a monk from the Tang dynasty. He is a buddhist, that’s why he has to visit the West (India) to study and learn more about Buddhism. Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing are three of Tang Sanzang’s students who went to India with him.
Dress up: Tang Sanzang
Difficulty:
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Zhu bajie is Tang Sanzang’s student, he follows Tang Sanzang on the journey to the west. He has a lot of strength, he’s kind and honest but can be lazy and timid.
Dress up difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Hou Yi is an ancient Chinese mythical character, he is very good at archery. When there were 10 suns in the sky, humans and all creatures on Earth were feeling very hot, so he helped the king and shot down 9 suns.
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Ne Zha is a child in Chinese ancient myth, he is immortal. He can do a lot of things human can’t do, for example to stand on the hot wheels and fly in the sky. Ne Zha is full of energy, restless, brave and kind.
Dress up difficulty: ⭐⭐
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We hope you’ve enjoyed this article authored by Mandarin Matrix team. For more culture sharing, check out our other articles:
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