Is the "bronze mirror" used by the ancients to dress up really dim and vague?

Yes, the ancient mirror looks vague and can only see a general picture. You should all have seen the costume drama. Ancient beauties make up in front of the mirror, and their hazy figures are reflected in the dim bronze mirror. You can only see the outline. As for the appearance of cosmetics and the way of making hair accessories, it is basically blind.

The glass mirror commonly used in modern times was invented by a German chemist in 1835. They mixed silver nitrate with reducing agent and coated it on one side of transparent glass. In ancient China, it was recorded as early as 2000 BC. The mirror in the photo is round and has a high bracket as the base. Poets in the Tang Dynasty also mentioned mirrors many times, such as "In the morning mirror, she saw her hair clouds changing, but she dared to express the chill of moonlight with her evening songs", "The moon is held up like a mirror, and the sea clouds twinkle like a palace", "Who knows that in the mirror, one is like peas and carrots" and "Who knows that in the mirror, the other is like peas and carrots". Whether it is a mirror in a famous painting or a mirror in a famous poem, it is a bronze mirror instead of a modern glass mirror.

As for what Xuanxi is, there is no clear record in the literature. We can infer that Xuanxi is a black tin substance, which may be a mixture of mercury and tin. Ancient bronze mirrors are a luxury. The bronze mirror is exposed to air for a long time, which is easy to oxidize, and the black tin on the mirror surface will evaporate day by day.

As time goes on, the bronze mirror will turn yellow again. In ancient times, there was a profession called mirror grinder, who specialized in dealing with bronze mirrors that were not clear. The mirror will shine after repeated wiping with a sander. However, because the mirror grinder is made of volatile and toxic heavy metals, long-term contact will affect health.