Regarding the origin and initial function of the Chinese bronze mirror, most scholars believe that the bronze mirror was developed from the water mirror, and the initial function was to take care. However, some people in the academic community also proposed that the early bronze mirror is a sacrificial ceremonial instrument, Cheng Jian's "On the Origin of Chinese Bronze Mirrors and Early Reflection Methods" article analyzes the bronze mirrors unearthed by the Qi family culture from the perspective of archaeology and ethnology, he believes that the copper mirrors are often used in religious ceremonies in addition to the appearance of the face and as ornaments, the bronze mirrors unearthed by the Qi family culture may be a kind of religious ritual artifact or ornament, and the owner of the tomb may be a wizard or a clan leader who is in charge of sacrifice and exorcism. Liu Xuetang's article "On the Origin of Early Chinese Bronze Mirrors from the Western Regions" believes that early Chinese bronze mirrors may have originated from the witchcraft used by shamans in the primitive society of the Western Regions to engage in religious activities.
Tang Fu Zhen pattern bronze mirror, Guangdong Daguan Museum collection
Whether early Chinese bronze mirrors had a religious or sacrificial function has long been controversial. However, after a long period of development and evolution, it is an indisputable fact that bronze mirrors have various functions, such as appearance, dowry, accessories, and evil spirits, in addition to a special purpose - sacrifice.
Prince Yong's inscription book hall is deeply located in the picture screen and the qiu suit on the mirror axis (partial) In the collection of the Palace Museum
After the Chinese bronze mirror was introduced to Japan, it became a prop for the sacrifice of the sun god, and eventually transformed into a symbol of the sun god's body, becoming one of the three artifacts (mirror, sword, jade), which was widely used in national sacrifice activities, and when the emperor ascended the throne, he also carried three kinds of artifacts to hold sacrifices.
In addition, in August 2001, Wen County, Henan Province, unearthed a "large-scale sacrificial bronze mirror" of the Yang family, which shows that the bronze mirror did have a special purpose for sacrifice in ancient times. However, not all bronze mirrors have a sacrificial function, and the bronze mirrors used for sacrifices should be specially made and not common among the many uses of bronze mirrors.
Under the influence of funerary customs, folk concepts and religious beliefs, bronze mirrors are also used for burial, reflecting the customs and beliefs of the ancients such as filial piety, town tombs to ward off evil spirits, and religious beliefs.
Han · Shangfang Royal Mirror Great No Injury" Ming Si Shen Rui Beast Bo Bureau Mirror Guangdong Daguan Museum Collection
Judging from the archaeological data, as early as the Qi family culture period, there has been a custom of using the bronze mirror as a burial object, and this custom runs through the entire history of Chinese bronze mirrors. Among the excavated ancient tombs, the bronze mirror is one of the most common metal burial objects, according to the excavation report of the "Guangzhou Han Tomb", of the 130 tombs found in the early Western Han Dynasty II type 3 and 5, 51 have burial items, of which the bronze mirror and bi are the main burial items.
Judging from the bronze mirrors excavated from the tomb, the excavation state is different, some are the same as the burial forms of other burial items, and some are more special. From the perspective of placement, some are placed inside the coffin, some are placed outside the coffin, some are laid flat, and some are hung.
Most of the bronze mirrors found in ancient tombs are incomplete, some are divided into two halves of broken mirrors, and some are broken into multiple pieces. In the Ming Dynasty couple's tomb excavated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, half a bronze mirror was excavated, and the two broken mirrors can be combined into a complete bronze mirror, which means a broken mirror. In a Warring States couple's joint burial tomb excavated in Luoyang, Henan in 1958, the two coffins of men and women each have half a prime mirror, and from the broken marks of the two and a half mirrors, the two are completely consistent. In the No. 1 Han Dynasty Joint Burial Tomb excavated in the northern suburbs of Xi'an in 1975, the husband and wife coffins were placed in front of each side with curved mirrors, and the two together are a complete bronze mirror.
Tang Sunflower-shaped "True Son Flying Frost" Character Story Mirror Guangdong Grand View Museum Collection
The burial form of the bronze mirror in the tomb often expresses a certain ideological concept of the ancients, for example, about hanging the coffin with a mirror, the Song Dynasty's elaborate "Miscellaneous Records of Decoction" said: "After the funeral of the world, the coffin is suspended with a mirror, covered to illuminate the corpse, and the meaning of light and darkness is taken." Another example is the situation that the bronze mirror is divided into two burials, some couples love before death, if one person dies first, the bronze mirror is divided into two halves, one half of which is used as the burial object of the deceased, and the other half is retained by the living, and then buried after death, hoping that after death, the leading edge can be continued.