Before the movie's release, one of its producers, Jason Reed, told Collider that the reason Shang was rewritten was, in part, due to the #MeToo movement. "I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn't think it was appropriate," Reed said. Instead, her new love interest is her equal in terms of power dynamics.
Instead of being her love interest, Donnie Yen's Commander Tung becomes a mentor to Mulan, and encourages her to use her chi (more on that later). In fact, Tung becomes so fond of Mulan (as Jun), that he tells Mulan he'd like "Jun" to marry his daughter.