The Chinese started casting bronze mirrors from very early times. In the second millennium B.C., there were already examples of bronze mirrors. But it was not until the fifth century B.C. that the design on the back of the mirrors began to become very elaborate. Here you will see some of the gilt bronzes on the deck and also the mirrors on the wall.

In the Tang Dynasty, the designs were no longer limited to symmetrical patterns. The designs started to change into more like pictorial art, all kinds of elements. Landscape, figures, animals, birds, or even trees and flowers were placed freely on the back of the mirror, so the mirror back looks more like a picture rather than a still pattern.