The Mirror's Evolution And Social Life In Ming And Qing Dynasties

The mirror,as one of a kind of daily utensils,has a close connection with people's daily life,cultural concepts,customs,and so on.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the development of the mirror entered a new historical stage.Bronze mirrors,which have a wide range of applications during the traditional society,are declining.At the same time,glass mirrors gradually enter the daily life and are more common after the middle of the Qing dynasty.From the point of view of casting usage,people's understanding of bronze mirror casting skills is more complete,systematic,and refined than previous generations.Due to the wide scope of the policy of banning bronze,the private bronze mirror foundry industry has developed to a certain extent.However,from the cultural relics,most of the world saved bronze mirrors in Ming and Qing dynasty are no like to the ancient mirror on quality and craftsmanship.There is thus a division between the ancient mirror and the bronze mirror of the present.Since the Song Dynasty,the collection of ancient bronze mirrors reached another peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties,especially after the middle and late Qing Dynasty.Literati's collection of the ancient bronze mirrors bases on the same collection hobby but shows a variety of intent and aesthetic purport.After the glass mirrors enter and gradually became the main mirrors used in daily life,the practical significance of bronze mirrors gradually declined,and the collection and aesthetic value became increasingly prominent.In the increasingly frequent Sino-foreign exchanges between the Ming and Qing dynasties,glass mirrors entered the Ming and Qing's society as an important kind of utensils from Westerner countries.Followed by the afference of Western mirror manufacturing technology and have an important impact on the domestic production of glass mirrors.At first,glass mirrors were mainly used in the court as tributes.Then gradually circulated as a commodity in the domestic market.From the perspective of area,the path introduced by glass mirrors generally shows a process from the south to the north and from the east to the west.From the time point of view,they were first reported in the late Ming Dynasty and was used by the court and the upper class in the mid-Qing Dynasty,and widely used in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China,and gradually became common appliance in everyday life.In addition to looking and making up,the glass mirrors have also become important furnishings and furniture in the Qing Dynasty,with the function of appreciation and viewing.Many existing studies briefly summarized the evolution of the mirrors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties: During the late Qing Dynasty,with the extensive use of glass mirrors,bronze mirrors increasingly withdrew from people's daily life.However,there are many complex and diverse historical facts behind this phenomenon that worth further exploration.The change process of mirrors actually shows the changes of society from the Ming and Qing dynasties late to the Republic of China.The connection between this kind of daily utensils,the social habits of the time and the people's daily life can't be simply summarized by a single word,but a picture scroll on dynamic,lively,complex and diverse history of life and society.