The theory is that at the time the mirror was cast, the thinner part cools first, while the raised part of the design on the back, being thicker, becomes cold later. This caused the bronze to form minute wrinkles and although the characters are on the back, the face has lines so faint that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Stop by our showroom to experience this mystery of China firsthand. The dragon and the phoenix are the principal motifs for decorative designs on buildings, clothing and articles for daily use in China's Imperial Palace. The throne hall, for example, is supported by columns with gilded dragons, while the central ramps on marble steps were paved with huge slabs carved in relief with the dragon and phoenix.
Screen walls display dragons in brilliant colors.
In the Chinese language, nearly all things connected with the emperor or dragon or phoenix preceded empress. The Phoenix carriage and Phoenix canopies were prominent in Imperial processions. The national flag under the Ching dynasty was emblazoned with a huge dragon and China's earliest postage stamps were called Dragonheads because their main design feature was a dragon. Prehistoric Roots Belief in the dragon, as well as drawings of the imaginary animal, can be traced back to primitive society when certain prehistoric tribes in China adopted the dragon as their symbol and guardian god. Some of the recently unearthed bronze vessels from the Yin Dynasty, which existed more than 3,000 years ago, are decorated with crude sketches of dragons.