Chinese magic mirror
Metallic mirrors of ancient China / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Chinese magic mirror (simplified Chinese: 透光镜; traditional Chinese: 透光鏡; pinyin: tòu guāng jìng) traces back to at least the 5th century,[2] although their existence during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 24 AD) has been claimed.[3] The mirrors were made out of solid bronze. The front was polished and could be used as a mirror, while the back has a design cast in the bronze,[2] or other decoration. When sunlight or other bright light shines onto the mirror, the mirror appears to become transparent. If that light is reflected from the mirror onto a wall, the pattern on the back of the mirror is then projected onto the wall.[2]
Bronze mirrors were the standard in many Eurasian cultures, but most lacked this characteristic, as did most Chinese bronze mirrors.