Fa Family Ancestors

**Fa Family Ancestors** are characters from the 1998 film Mulan.

## Background

### First Ancestor Fa

As the oldest member of the Fa family, both deceased and living, First Ancestor Fa is wise and powerful. He appears to have some mystical power, as he carries a staff, which he conjures, and is able to awaken Mushu from his status as an incense burner. His spirit resides in the Fa family temple. His grave is often visited by the living members of the family for good fortune. He can spiritually contact the oldest living member of the Fa family (currently Grandmother Fa) when necessary. He appears to love his family unconditionally; he is the only ancestor that showed no animosity towards Mulan's decision to leave or what it could do to the family's honour. He was also seen gazing happily as he watched his living relatives, and Shang, gather together at the end.

It is implied that he was the one who demoted Mushu from his position as a family guardian following Mushu's failure to protect Fa Deng, who lost his life due to Mushu's incompetence. Mushu's disastrous blunder, coupled with the dragon's arrogant and obnoxious behaviour, is a constant point of stress for the First Ancestor. As a result, he has an antagonistic relationship with the dragon.

### Fa Deng

Fa Deng is the only ancestor to be given a full name. It appears that he was once a soldier during his lifetime. Unfortunately, as a result of Mushu's bad guidance, Fa Deng met some untold disaster during which he lost his head and Mushu was demoted to gong ringer. This situation is later referenced as a reason why Mushu cannot be a guardian to Mulan. At the end of the first movie, he uses his unattached head as a party balloon, when the ancestors are celebrating Mulan's success.

### Other Unnamed Ancestors

* Two ancestors, apparently a married couple, bear similarity to the couple from Grant Wood's painting American Gothic. They worry that if Mulan is discovered, Fa Zhou and Fa Li would lose the family farm.
* One neurotic man is shown with an abacus, calculating on the losses the family would receive if Mulan were to be discovered.
* One woman, who in the second film is referred to as "Prunehilda" by Mushu, is shown deriding Mulan as a troublemaker, claiming that her children were all acupuncturists. In Mulan II, she wants a foot massage.
* The male ancestor next to her, claims that not everyone can be an acupuncturist. If dialogue is to be believed, this man may be a great grandfather of Mulan, as another ancestor points out that his great-granddaughter became a cross-dresser.
* That ancestor had another dialogue as she points out Mushu's blunder that caused him to be demoted.
* Another ancestor tried keeping the peace by pointing out that Mulan was just doing it to ultimately help her father.

## Film Appearances

### Mulan

In the films, the ancestors serve as guardians of the Fa family. They are awakened from their slumber when Mulan runs away to join the army. Most are aghast at her actions and gripe and grouse about what she has done, except for one who understands her motives and defends her, knowing that she is only trying to help her father and keep him safe from war. They initially disagree on what to do, but eventually decide to send a guardian to retrieve her. At the end of the first film, they throw an impromptu party to celebrate Mulan's success as a war heroine.

### Mulan II

By the second film, the ancestors have become fed up with Mushu's constant demands that they wait on him hand and foot. Thus, when Mulan becomes engaged to Shang, they all grow excited. If Mulan marries Shang, then she would become a member of his family, so his ancestor's guardians would take over, resulting in Mushu's demotion from family guardian. Throughout the film, they eagerly plan what menial tasks they intend to have Mushu do as payback. However, Mushu's demotion is prevented when Shang combines the family temples, forcing the ancestors to continue letting Mushu be a guardian.

**Music:** Mulan (Soundtrack) | Mulan II (Soundtrack) | Mulan (2020 Soundtrack)
**Video Games:** Disney's Mulan | Animated StoryBook: Mulan
**Books:** The Art of Mulan | Reflection (A Twisted Tale)