Wang Jiusi (Older America)

Wang Jiusi 王九思 (1468-1551) was a Chinese official, writer and satirical playwright from Shaanxi, one of the Former Seven Masters. Many of his plays were performed both in Shadow Play (皮影戲) and Chinese Opera (歌劇).

His most famous zaju was a one-act adaptation of the folktale of the Wolf of Zhongshan (中山的狼). However, his other works increased his fame, so much, that they were even performed by theater troupes in Europe. Including his own adaptation of ''the Ballad of Hua Mulan. Parts based off Disney Mulan and Aladdin, the SMITE and Age of Mythology video game, and parts of LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu''. All rights reserved to their legal owners. No copyright intended.

Synopsis
Prologue: The story is set during the late Spring and Autumn period. King Jian Zi (趙簡子 - BC?-BC 476) was leading a hunting party through Zhongshan when he happen to come across a wolf. King Jian takes aim with his bow and arrow but misses and hits a stone instead. The wolf desperately flees through the forest with the hunting party in pursuit. As the wolf makes its way through the forest he stumbles upon a traveling Mohist scholar Mr. Dongguo (Chinese: 東郭先生; pinyin: Dōngguō Xiānshēng). The wolf appeals to the scholar's belief of "universal love" and implores for his help. Mr. Dongguo takes pity on the creature and hides it in one of his books bags strapped to his donkey.

Act I: When the hunters approach him, Mr. Dongguo denies any knowledge of the wolf's whereabouts. After the hunters had left, Mr. Dongguo lets the wolf out of his bag, got on his donkey, and was about to take his leave only to be stopped by the wolf. The wolf now asked the scholar to save his life again, this time from starvation. Mr. Dongguo offered the wolf some pastries, but the wolf smile and said "I don't eat those, I dine solely on meat". Puzzled, Mr. Dongguo inquires if the wolf intended to eat his donkey and the wolf replies "No, no, donkey meat is no good". The donkey, upon hearing this, bolts from the scene as fast as its four legs to carry it leaving Mr. Dongguo behind with the wolf. To Mr. Dongguo's surprise, the hungry wolf pounced on him and announced its intention to eat him. When Mr. Dongguo protests at the wolf's ingratitude, the wolf presents the argument: since the scholar saved his life once why not do it again? Now that it was starving, only by serving as the wolf's food will the scholar have fulfilled the act of saving his life. Besides, the wolf complained that it nearly suffocated while it was crammed in the scholar's bag and the scholar now owed him. Dongguo and the wolf debated and finally decided to present their case to the judgment of three elders.

Act II: The first elder they present their argument to is an old withering apricot tree. The tree relates its own experience to the two on how when it was young, children used to pick its fruits from its branches and the tree would tell them to eat their fill. Now it was about to be chopped down to provide firewood. The tree sides with the wolf. The wolf is very pleased. The second elder they present their argument to was an elderly water buffalo. The buffalo tells its story of how it served its masters for many years dutifully providing him with milk and plowing his fields. Now his master wants to butcher it so he can eat his meat. The buffalo too sides with the wolf. The wolf grins and feels even more justified in his request to eat the scholar. Mr. Dongguo reminds the wolf that they have one more elder to seek out.

Act III (Final Act): The last elder they present their argument to is an elderly farmer. The farmer was skeptical and didn't believe that the wolf could fit into the bag. To illustrate its point, the wolf crawled back into the bag and right away the old farmer tied up the bag and started to beat the wolf with his hoe. The farmer bashes the wolf to an inch of his life then unties the bag and drags his dying wolf out of the bag. Seeing the pitiful wolf the scholar thinks that the old farmer was too cruel but just then a weeping woman comes running towards them. She pointed to the wolf and told Mr. Dongguo and the farmer how it dragged off her little boy. Mr Dongguo now no longer pitied the wolf. He picked up the hoe and strikes the final blow to the wolf's head.

Synopsis
Prologue: A soldier walks through the Great Wall, when a falcon knocks off his helmet. After the Huns, who are led by the ruthless Shan Yu (單宇), invade Ming China by breaching the Great Wall, the Chinese emperor orders a general mobilization. Conscription notices require one man from each family to join the Chinese army.

Act I: When Hua Mulan (花木蘭) hears that her elderly father Hua Zhou (華周), the only man in their family and an army veteran, is once more to go to war, she becomes anxious and apprehensive due to his weakening health. Taking her father's old armor, she disguises herself as a man, so that she can enlist instead of her father. The anxious family quickly learn of her departure. The mother urges Hua Zhou to pursue her, fearing for her life. But Hua Zhou knew the law forbade a woman to pose as a man and the penalty was death. The Grandmother prays to the family ancestors for Mulan's safety. The ancestors then sent a small dragon named Mushu (木梳) to protect Mulan.

Act II: Reporting to the training camp, Mulan is able to pass as a man, although her military skills are initially inexperienced. Mushu provides military guidance to Mulan, drawing on knowledge from the Hua military ancestors. Under the command of Captain Li Shang (李尚), she and other recruits Yao (姚明), Ling (凌), and Chien-Po (建寶), gradually become trained warriors. Desiring to see Mulan succeed, Mushu magically reassembles a scroll to create a fake order from Shang's father, General Li, ordering Shang to follow the main Imperial Army into the mountains. The reinforcements set out, but arrive at a burnt-out encampment and discover that General Li and his troops have been massacred by the Huns.

As the reinforcements solemnly leave the mountains, they are ambushed by the Huns, but Mulan cleverly uses a cannon to cause an avalanche, which buries most of the invaders. An enraged Shan Yu slashes her in the chest, and her deception is revealed when the wound is bandaged. Instead of executing Mulan as the law requires, Shang spares her life, but nonetheless expels her from the army. Mulan is left to follow alone as the recruits depart for the Imperial City to report the news of the Huns' destruction.

Act III (Final Act): However, it is revealed that several Hun warriors, including Shan Yu have survived the avalanche, and Mulan catches sight of them as they make their way to the City, intent on capturing the Emperor.

At the Imperial City, Mulan is unable to convince Shang about Shan Yu's intentions. The Huns capture the Emperor and seize the palace. With Mulan's help, Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po are able to enter the palace. With the help of Shang, they defeat Shan Yu's men; as Shang prevents Shan Yu from assassinating the Emperor, Mulan lures the Hun leader onto the roof where she engages him in single combat. Meanwhile, acting on Mulan's instructions and signal, Mushu fires a huge skyrocket at Shan Yu. The rocket strikes and propels him into a fireworks launching tower, where he dies in the resulting explosion.

Mulan is praised by the Emperor and the assembled inhabitants of the city, who bow to her in an unprecedented honor. While she accepts the crest of the Emperor and the sword of Shan Yu as gifts, she politely declines his offer to be his advisor, and asks to return to her family. Mulan returns home and presents these gifts to her father, who is more overjoyed to have Mulan back safely, telling her: "The greatest gift and honor, is having you for a daughter". Having fallen in love with Mulan, Shang soon arrives under the pretext of returning her helmet, but accepts the family's invitation to stay for dinner. Mushu is granted a position as a Fa family guardian by the ancestors amid a returning celebration.

Synopsis
Gods from the West (Greece, Egypt, and the Norselands), ambitious to expand their dominion, unleash their creatures upon China. The dragon gods are tasked to defend their homeland, but the true hero who rises to the challenge is the child demi-god, Ne Zha (哪吒). During his battles, Ne Zha befriends the Egyptian God of Vengeance, Hé lǔ sī (荷魯斯), falls in love with a playful Greek child goddess named Ài dé (愛德), and battled with the evil Norse goddess, Diyu (地獄).

Synopsis
Act I: A child named Láo āi dé (勞埃德) trains in the arts of Ninjitzu under his uncle, Sensai Wu (吳), to become a powerful warrior to protect China alongside other Ninja who possess the abilities to control the world's elements. Lloyd eventually comes upon an ancient scroll and learns the prophecy of the 'Green Ninja' (綠色忍者), a ninja destined to defeat the ultimate evil and maintain Yin and Yang (陰陽五行). Lloyd then becomes ambitious and trains to the greatest of his talents and powers.

Act II: Years later, Lloyd has grown into a young man and wonders when the great evil shall arise. One day, the ultimate evil appears in the form of an evil spirit called the Bàwáng (霸王). Wu explains to Lloyd that if the Overlord wins this battle, Yin and Yang would be out of balance and China would fall prey to its own darkness. Lloyd, along with a group of elemental ninja, go off to fight the Overlord atop a high tower. While the other ninja battle an army of stone warriors, the Overlord comes in the form of a dragon, who then battles Lloyd (who is the Green Ninja), who then becomes a grand elemental master. The battle is fierce, but the Green Ninja emerges triumphant and restores Yin and Yang into balance.

Act III (Final Act): Decades later, Lloyd, now and elderly sensai, trains the next generation of elemental warriors to protect China, including his own son, Bào bǐ (鮑比). The peace of China is then threatened with the arrival of an evil Jīnglíng (精靈) comes to reek havoc upon the land. Along with an army of Shé xíng (humanoid snakes in many forms with many unique powers Chinese: 蛇形), he intends to conquer China. However, Bào bǐ and those who trained beside him in 'Elemental Ninjitzu' set out to save the land, and they succeed.

Synopsis
Act I: The next birthday of Emperor's daughter, Mòlìhuā (茉莉花) is approaching, but she refuses to be forced into marriage to any suitor she doesn't love. Meanwhile, the Emperor's advisor, Jiǎ fǎ ěr (賈法爾), seeks to take control of the Empire, by liberating a magic ring (which contains a magic Jīnglíng) from an underground cave. But only a pure-hearted man may enter, the 'Diamond in the Rough' (鑽石在粗糙), who is an impoverished man in the streets of the Imperial City, named Ā lādīng (阿拉丁). Jiǎ fǎ ěr deceives Ā lādīng into entering the cave to get the ring. The cave is filled with wondrous riches along the way, but Ā lādīng doesn't touch them. However, upon touching the ring, the cave crumbles and seals Ā lādīng inside, leaving Jiǎ fǎ ěr empty-handed.

Act II: Trapped in the cave, Ā lādīng examines the ring to discover it value. In doing so, he rubs it and magic smoke rises, taking the form of the Jīnglíng. Upon learning that the ring's wearer is the Jīnglíng's master and wields the 3 wishes he grants, Ā lādīng uses the 1st wish to escape from the gave. Then, Ā lādīng expresses to the Jīnglíng his love for the Princess, but know she can only marry a prince. So the Jīnglíng grants Ā lādīng's 2nd wish to become a prince. Meanwhile, Jiǎ fǎ ěr gets a new idea to take the throne of China; by marrying the princess. He uses a dragon staff with ruby eyes to hypnotize the Emperor to arrange the marriage. But then, Ā lādīng arrives at the palace in the form of Prince Ālǐ (阿里), which delights the Emperor. Later, Ā lādīng visits Mòlìhuā and gives her a romantic moment, flying through the air on a magical flying carpet. But Jiǎ fǎ ěr, fearing the 'prince' would ruin his plan, has the guards attempt to drown him in the ocean. However, the Jīnglíng (even without a wish) returns Ā lādīng to the palace, where he smashes Jiǎ fǎ ěr's staff (breaking the spell over the Emperor) and exposing him as a traitor. However, Jiǎ fǎ ěr first spots the ring on Ā lādīng's finger and after escaping, steals it.

Act III (Final Act): Jiǎ fǎ ěr, now possessing the Jīnglíng, uses it to become Emperor of China. But when Ā lādīng and Mòlìhuā refuse to kneel before him, Jiǎ fǎ ěr uses his 2nd wish to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Then, he uses his powers to reveal Ā lādīng as not being a real prince and zaps his friends to the ends of the Earth. But Ā lādīng uses the flying carpet to return to China to battle Jiǎ fǎ ěr and set things right. With his powers, Jiǎ fǎ ěr transformed into a Xiangliu (相栁) and thrashes at Ā lādīng while sealing Mòlìhuā inside a giant hourglass, rapidly filling up with sand. Then, Ā lādīng claims to Jiǎ fǎ ěr  that the Jīnglíng has more power than him (and since he gave him his power, he could also take just as easily). Then, Jiǎ fǎ ěr uses his final wish to become a Jīnglíng. However, what Ā lādīng knew that Jiǎ fǎ ěr didn't was that every Jīnglíng must have a ring, and a black diamond ring took shape and trapped Jiǎ fǎ ěr inside and the Jīnglíng sent it to the cave he came from. Ā lādīng apologizes to Mòlìhuā and the Emperor for his deception and decides that the Jīnglíng's power is too dangerous and corruptive for mortals to wield, so with his final wish, Ā lādīng sets the Jīnglíng free from the ring. The Emperor decides that Ā lādīng proved his worth by defeating saving China from Jiǎ fǎ ěr and proclaims that his daughter may marry whomever she deems worthy. Mòlìhuā chooses Ā lādīng and they live happily ever after.

Legacy
From China to the lands of the West, Wang Jiusi's plays would be performed for generations and be adapted for television and motion pictures.

Film
Aladdin (1992) - A Disney animated feature film taking The Story of Ā lādīng to the Middle East.

Mulan (1998) - A Disney animated movie, based on the Ballad of Hua Mulan.

Toys
LEGO Ninjago - a branch of the LEGO building toys brand that features products based on the stories of the Green Ninja and his allies. This product eventually became a CGI TV series and new products came up as the series progressed.

Video Games
SMITE - An online video game where gods from many Pantheons (Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Norse, Indian, and Roman) battle among themselves, with Ne Zha as one of the avatars for the Chinese Pantheon.