"The Story of the Ancient Mirror" is a legendary novel written by Wang Du in the Tang Dynasty. It is regarded as an important work in the early development of Chinese classical novels.
The full text is centered on an ancient mirror with supernatural power, and through a series of coherent and independent plots, it shows the magical functions of the ancient mirror in subduing monsters, sensing celestial phenomena, and curing diseases and saving lives.
The story begins when Wang Du received this mirror as a gift from Qishi Housheng. The mirror body is intricately decorated, containing symbolic symbols such as the four directions of heaven and earth, the Eight Trigrams and the Twelve Stars. It can also be reflected in the sunlight and emit a clear sound when struck, showing its extraordinary origin and spirituality. Later, Wang Du and his younger brother Wang Ji traveled around with the mirror, and encountered strange things such as the old raccoon who turned into a maid, competed with the sword, rescued the plague, suppressed the tree demon, drove away the storm in the river, and saw through the illusion of the monster, etc., Showing the powerful power and moral consciousness of the ancient mirror as a "divine object of heaven and earth".
The work not only has a fantastic plot and rich imagination, but also incorporates deep emotions about the turmoil of the times and the impermanence of life into the narrative. The ancient mirror eventually mourned away in the chaotic times of the late Sui Dynasty, symbolizing the end of an era and the destiny of the divine object to return to heaven and earth.
"The Story of the Ancient Mirror" has a rigorous structure, elegant language, and both fantasy and allegorical colors. It has had a profound impact on later Tang legends and even Ming and Qing novels. It is a classic that cannot be ignored in the history of Chinese novels.
