A bronze mirror dating back more than 2,000 years has been unearthed in Yiyang city in central China's Hunan province.

According to local sources, the bronze mirror was found recently in a tomb, containing 13 graves and considered to be from the middle of the Warring States (BC475-BC221) Period, when construction workers were reconstructing a dilapidated building at the Yiyang Health School.

Despite some damage to the edge, the bronze mirror is smooth and exquisite on the front, with fine glistening effects, while on the back, there are five identical Chinese characters meaning "mountain", with lines similar to grass leaves as the background.

Experts from Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology said the rare mirror is one of the finest Chu-style bronze mirrors from the Warring States Period and reflects the high bronze casting technology of that period.

Also discovered with the mirror was a precious bronze sword, and a great amount of pottery, sections of colored-glaze walls, and other bronze ware.

(Xinhua 03/12/2001)