Comedian Jia Ling has rendered a public apology on her official Sina Weibo account, the country's twitter-like service, after an open letter criticized her for making fun of Hua Mulan, legendary Chinese female warrior, and portraying Mulan as an incompetent, cowardly woman in a TV show, which eventually raised a public storm. The letter, written by an institute specializing in Mulan-related studies, said Jia's show was "nauseating" and demanded she apologize to the people for her actions, especially to the residents of Yucheng in North China's Henan province, which claims to be Mulan's hometown.

But the majority of Chinese netizens seem to disagree with the criticism. According to a recent Sina online survey, 60 percent of the nearly 70,000 respondents said there was no need for Jia to apologize, because comedy shows are all about spoofs and exaggerations.

The story of Hua Mulan has its origin in an ancient folk song, Ode to Mulan, and her surname and birthplace are still uncertain despite the endless debates on them.

Putting aside the question whether Mulan really existed or not, people, especially those who cannot tolerate Jia's comedy show, should realize that comedy is first and foremost about parody and spoof. By exaggerating reality, a well-structured comedy program can be an excellent stress buster. So, as long as a comedy program does not cross the moral and legal bottom line, there is nothing to complain about it.

Jia's portrayal of Mulan is neither like the legendary heroine we have come to know through the Ode to Mulan in school textbooks nor like the character seen in Chinese TV dramas and the Disney animation. In contrast, Jia's Mulan appears much more worldly because it integrates current social phenomena such as gluttony and women who objectify men.

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