As a common historical relic, bronze mirror naturally has great historical and artistic value. Through the improvement of bronze mirror style and production technology, it can be roughly traced back to the cultural development at that time, which conforms to the changes of dynasties and is the carrier of culture. At the same time, the patterns of bronze mirrors are decorative and can be used as works of art.

As early as 4000 years ago, people began to use bronze mirrors. Through archaeological excavations, a small number of bronze mirrors appeared in the late Neolithic period. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the production process of bronze mirrors was further improved, but the overall style was still simple. Some people call it. Plain mirror? .

The bronze mirrors of Shang and Zhou dynasties are round, and the shapes of mirror buckles (with holes in the middle) are irregular and various. Patterns are geometric patterns, such as flat lines and lines, which are simple and simple. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze mirrors began to usher in the peak of development. A square mirror appeared, lighter in shape. The production process is complicated, and there are hollowing out and jade embedding processes.

The Han Dynasty was the heyday of bronze mirrors. In addition to more complex and changeable shapes and lines, there are inscriptions on bronze mirrors, which are of great value to historical research. Inscriptions reflect people's ideology and social culture at that time, such as worship of gods and prayers for a better life. There are also chronological inscriptions that record current events and are important archaeological materials for future generations.

After the Han Dynasty, the bronze mirror experienced a turbulent period of development and revived again in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The mirror body became thick, which reflected the important influence of religious culture at that time, and Buddhist and Taoist related patterns began to appear on the mirror.

The decline in the craftsmanship of bronze mirrors in the Song Dynasty was related to the whole social atmosphere. In the Yuan Dynasty, due to social unrest, the bronze mirror manufacturing industry was also depressed, but new patterns appeared, such as people's story mirrors. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, glass mirrors appeared, and bronze mirrors gradually withdrew from the historical stage, more as an ornament.

Therefore, the mirror can not only reflect people and things, but also reflect history. From the development of bronze mirrors, we can get a glimpse of the cultural atmosphere of the times and even a description of the society at that time. Such cultural relics are certainly worth studying.