Abstract:
A special portrait mirror, “threephase goddess portrait mirror”, appeared in the Han Dynasty. The portrait in the mirror was not the Heavenly Emperor nor Laozi, the idol of Taoism, but a goddess, who was said to be concerned with babybirth, or more exactly Nue Wa, a creation goddess in Chinese mythology. The structure of the portrait in the mirror consisted of three phases, respectively corresponding to the order of the world, the deities and the sages in ancient times, which could be regarded as the key concern of mirror users. In other words, these images represented the crucial points of life happiness of Chinese women, that is, marriage, birthgiving and longevity.
