Abstract: According to the way of expression of bird patterns, the Buddha statue eight phoenix mirrors that appeared in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the Han and Jin Dynasties can be specifically divided into three categories: class A appeared earliest, which can be traced back to the early 3rd century; class B was popular in the middle and late 3rd century, which was the mainstream of the eight phoenix mirrors of Buddha statues; class C was popular at the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th century, which was the end of the mirror species, and the Buddha statue ornaments gradually disappeared with the decline of the mirror species. The Buddhist motifs decorated with the Eight Phoenix Mirrors of the Buddha, including seated Buddhas, half-heeled statues and celestial figures, were created on the basis of images and stories of the Buddha in the Gandhara region of India in the 3rd century, which are in line with the overall development of the early southern transmission of Buddhism in northern China. At the same time, Buddhist images are only used as a kind of auspicious pattern, mixed with images such as gods and immortals and beasts in bronze mirror ornaments, which to a certain extent reflects the tolerant attitude of the Han and Jin society with Shenxian Taoism as the mainstream belief to the newly introduced Buddhism.
In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, a number of Eight Phoenix Mirrors of the Han and Jin Dynasties decorated with Buddhist motifs appeared, which attracted widespread attention from the academic community because of its involvement in early Buddhist cultural factors. Xu Pingfang believes that the use of Buddha statue ornaments on bronze mirrors is one of the important characteristics of Wu Mirrors. Wang Zhongshu systematically sorted out the data of the Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror, and judged it to be Wu Jing in combination with the age of the excavated tombs, which was popular in the middle to late Wu dynasty, and believed that the appearance of the Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror was the result of the popularity of Buddhism in Wudi, and that early Buddhism had a dependency relationship with Taoism. Buddhist pattern as a new copper mirror ornament has its own reference base, traceable to it can reveal the development of Buddhism at that time from the side, coupled with the continuous deepening of research on the Han and Jin bronze mirrors in recent years, for the judgment of the origin of the Buddha statue eight phoenix mirror and production time to provide a reference, the author believes that it is necessary to re-explore the relevant issues of the Buddha statue eight phoenix mirror.
First, the age of the Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror
The determination of the age of the Eight Phoenix Mirror of the Buddha Statue is inseparable from the analysis of the overall age and change trend of the Eight Phoenix Mirror.
The eight-phoenix mirror is a mirror with a four-leaf pattern extending from the button seat and eight phoenix birds facing each other as the main ornamental features, which first attracted the attention of Japanese scholars because it was also found in the burial items of the Kofun period in Japan. There are few eight phoenix mirrors with chronology, only two mirrors of the first year of The Yuanxing (105) and the first year of Yongjia (145), so higuchi Takayasu, Okachi Sanzen, Akiyama Jinyu, Harada Mitsushou and other scholars have tried to study the eight phoenix mirrors according to the ornamentation. In recent years, on the basis of comprehensive research on the Han and Jin bronze mirrors, Okamura Hidenori has identified the craftsman systems in different regions, and clearly proposed that the eight phoenix mirrors were first produced in the west China region, and in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the 2680s, the Jiangnan system of eight phoenix mirrors appeared. He further summarized the changing laws of the Eight Phoenix Mirror Button Seat, arguing that the 2nd century West China mirror used a "silk curl" (a rounded square with concave corners on all four sides) and a bat pattern button seat (Figure 1, 1), and by the second half of the 2nd century, the Eight Phoenix Mirror Button Seats that appeared in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were rounded square (Figure 1, 2), and in the 3rd century, they evolved into jewels (Figures 1, 3). From the perspectives of all parties, it can be seen that the evolution law of the Eight Phoenix Mirror is that the button seat gradually becomes round, the bird pattern changes from abstract to realistic, and the inscription gradually decreases or even disappears.
According to the information collected by the author, a total of 17 Buddha statues and eight phoenix mirrors have been published so far, all of which are jewel-shaped button seats, which should be made for the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River according to the study of Okamura Hidenon. Among them, there are 6 pieces in the museum's collection, and the excavation site is unknown; 11 excavators are distributed in Hubei Ezhou, Hunan Changsha, Jiangxi Nanchang, Jing'an, Jiangsu Nanjing, Zhejiang Wuyi, Anji and other places (see Table 1). According to the way the bird pattern is expressed, the 17 Buddha statues and eight phoenix mirrors can be divided into three categories:
Class A 3 pieces. The bird pattern is represented by different types of lines, which are more patterned, the two beaks are connected, the head is C-shaped, the body is D-shaped, and the tail feathers are long, extending to the end of the four-leaf stripe. The Fogg Museum of Art at Harvard University in the United States has a collection of eight phoenix mirrors, one leaf interior of the four-leaf pattern, one Buddha and two wagyu waiters, and the other three-leaf interior coiled dragon pattern. The bird's head has a backward-rolling crown, a hook-like curl at the front of the neck, and a diagonal line at the intersection of the neck and the body, starting from this line, and the wings are represented by four backward diagonal lines. A curve extending forward under each bird intersects between the pairs of birds, which resembles a bird's foot. An inscription is placed between the heads of each pair of birds, a total of 4 characters, and only the words "宜" and "公" can be recognized. The outer side of the bird pattern is decorated with 16 consecutive arcs, of which the two arcs are decorated with a day person, and the rest are decorated with green dragons, suzaku, chiwu and other motifs (Figure 2, 1). The Eight Phoenix Mirror (M6:1) unearthed from the M6 in front of the station square of Nanchang Railway Station in Jiangxi Province is basically the same as the mirror in the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University, but the lines are thinner, and there is no one Buddha and two threat servants in the four-leaf pattern, and only one person in one arc in the arc pattern (Figure 2, 2).
The Buddhist motifs on the Eight Phoenix Mirrors of such Buddha statues are mainly two kinds: seated Buddhas and celestial beings. Seated Buddhas all have a fleshy bun on their heads, a round head, a knot sitting on a lotus pedestal, flanked by a waiter, decorated in one leaf of the four-leaf pattern, such as the Fogg Museum of Art at Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The head of the heavenly person has a flesh bun on the head, most of which has a round head light, with both hands raised to the sides of the head, the legs are differentiated, and the drapery flutters on both sides of the body, specifically in two forms: one body is straighter, and the attendant is next to the seated Buddha; one body is U-shaped, flying, and decorated separately in the arc of the mirror area, such as the M6:1 square in front of the Nanchang Railway Station.
In the Eight Phoenix Mirrors of Class A Buddha Statues, only the bronze mirror excavated from the M6 in the square in front of the Nanchang Railway Station has a clear excavation site, but due to the serious damage to the tomb, the specific age is unknown. There are also few excavations of the Eight Phoenix Mirror without Buddha statues with similar ornamental features, and there is also a lack of tomb information that can clearly determine the age. Judging from the overall change trend of the eight-phoenix mirror system, the A-class mirror has used the popular jewel-type button seat in the 3rd century, but the more patterned bird pattern expression and the four-character inscription between the birds inherit the characteristics of the eight-phoenix mirror in the second half of the 2nd century, and should be in the transition stage from the Han mirror to the Wu mirror, so the production date of the Class A Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror can be roughly presumed to be the early 3rd century.
Class B 11 pieces. The bird pattern is more realistic, no longer only using lines to outline the outline of each part, but connected into a whole. The bird's wings are raised, the tail feathers are shortened, and the feet under the body are clearly visible. In 1975, sun Wu's late tomb M4037, found in Wulidun, Ezhou, Hubei Province, unearthed a Buddha statue eight phoenix mirror (M4037:1), which depicts bird patterns realistically, with three uplifted feathers carved on the chest, and the wings and tail are delicately displayed with different lines. In the gap between the two birds there is a spike that extends from the knob seat to the arc between the stripes. The four-leaf pattern is decorated with Buddha statues, of which the three leaves are decorated with a seated Buddha, and the interior of one leaf is meditative. The outer side of the bird pattern is decorated with 16 arcs, and its interior is a green dragon, suzaku, white tiger and other beast motifs (Figure 3, 1).
The Buddhist motifs of such mirrors include sitting Buddha, contemplative images, and celestial beings. There are two forms of expression for the seated Buddha: one is three statues with two statues of the Two Heavenly Attendants on both sides, the same as the image of the A-class mirror seated Buddha, decorated in one or three leaves in the four-leaf pattern, such as the excavation mirror of Tomb No. 1 of Ezhou Heavy Machinery Factory in Hubei Province and the excavation mirror of wu tomb in Wuyi, Zhejiang; the other is a single statue, sitting on a double beast lotus seat with a slender neck on both sides, decorated in two or three leaves in the four-leaf pattern, such as the above introduction Hubei Ezhou M4037:1, and the mirror of the National Museum of Tokyo and the Museum of Tsinghua University in Japan. The statues are all sitting on a lotus seat with a round head, one arm is bent, placed near the cheek, the same side of the leg naturally droops, the other leg is bent on the upper plate, one side has an umbrella figure, the other side has a kneeling figure, decorated in one or two leaves in the four-leaf pattern, such as the excavation mirror of the Western Jin Tomb in Zuojiatang, Changsha, Hunan (Fig. 3, 3) and hubei Ezhou M4037:1, etc. Celestial beings also have two forms. A body with a straighter body appears in pairs within a leaf of the four-leaf pattern, such as the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. One kind of body is U-shaped, the same as the A-class mirror Tianren shape, but the decorative position is more diverse: some decorations are within one or three arcs of the continuous arc pattern, such as the excavation mirror of the Xishan Wujin Tomb in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and the M2 excavation mirror of Hushan in Jing'an, Jiangxi (Fig. 3, 4), etc.; some are decorated in a leaf of the four-leaf pattern, such as the Ezhou M2080 excavation mirror in Hubei and the excavation mirror of the Wuwu tomb in Zhejiang; some are decorated in the ornamental belt of the outer edge of the mirror back, such as the M4009 excavation mirror in Hubei Ezhou (Figure 3, 2).
From the perspective of the excavated bronze mirror tomb age, Hubei Ezhou M4009 and M4037 are the tombs of Sun Wu in the later period, the tombs of Ezhou M2080 and Echeng Heavy Machinery Factory No. 1 are the tombs of the Western Jin Dynasty, the tombs of The No. 2 tomb of Hushan in Jing'an, Jiangxi have found the "Taikang Nine Years (288)" tomb bricks, which are also Western Jin Tombs, and the tombs of Xishanqiao in Nanjing, Jiangsu, Zuojiatang in Changsha, Hunan, Wuyi in Zhejiang are all tombs of the Wu and Jin Dynasties, and it can be known that the B-class Buddha statues of the Eight Phoenix Mirrors were excavated from the tombs of the late Sun Wu and the Western Jin Dynasty. Since there may be a large time difference between the production of the bronze mirror and the burial of the tomb owner, the production time of the Eight Phoenix Mirror of this type of Buddha statue can be inferred as early as the middle of the 3rd century, and the latest to the late 3rd century.
Category C 3 pieces. To the bird pattern began to simplify the deformation. For example, the bronze mirror excavated from Anji Meixi in Zhejiang Province, the four-leaf pattern interior rui beast, 8 phoenix birds shrunk to the two sides of the four-leaf pattern, and the form is not uniform, one side is a looking back pinnate, the other side is a wingspan, the depiction is simple. The statue of the Second Mind and the Statue of the Two Immortals became the main pattern. The statues of the gods and immortals are the Queen Mother of the West wearing a katsuo-shaped ornament on her head and the Eastern Prince wearing a crown of mountain characters, and a canopy of people on each side of the Eastern Prince (Fig. 4, 1). In 1994, a Buddha statue of eight phoenix mirrors was excavated from the Ezhou Power Supply Building in Hubei Province, which reduced and simplified the bird pattern, the symmetry of the mirror back ornament layout was poor, the four-leaf pattern was of different sizes, the ornamentation was rough, and the proportion of the mirror back occupied by the arc was expanded and there were only 12 (Figure 4, 2).
The Buddhist motifs of such mirrors include two kinds: si wei and tianren. The siwei statue is the same as the B-class mirror siwei image, placed in the position of the main pattern, such as the bronze mirror excavated from Anji Meixi in Zhejiang. There are two forms of tianren, one is a body with a straighter body, which is decorated separately in one leaf of the four-leaf pattern, such as the excavation mirror of the Ezhou Power Supply Building in Hubei Province; the other is U-shaped, decorated separately in the three arcs of the continuous arc pattern, such as the mirror of the National Museum in Berlin, Germany.
Since these three C-class mirrors have no specific excavation information, it is necessary to refer to the eight phoenix mirrors without Buddha statue ornamentation for dating. Combing the excavated data, it can be seen that the simplified deformation of the eight phoenix mirrors is mostly found in the tombs of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, such as the eight phoenix mirrors excavated from the Eastern Jin Tomb at No. 1 Waizheng Street, Donghu District, Nanchang, Jiangxi, omitting even the arc pattern, and only 4 of the 8 phoenix birds remain (Figure 5, 1). Another example is the M2220 excavation of the Eight Phoenix Mirror from the Eastern Jin Dynasty Tomb on the southern slope of majia'an in The Western Mountain of Ezhou, Hubei Province, which has almost no other patterns except for the four-leaf pattern and the line of the outer edge of the arc (Figure 5, 2), indicating that the production of the Eight Phoenix Mirror in the Eastern Jin Dynasty entered a period of decline. Since the bronze mirror was made earlier than the burial time, the production and use of this type of deformed Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror can be presumed to be the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th century.
In summary, the Eight Phoenix Mirror of Class A Buddha appeared earliest, dating back to the early 3rd century, but the number was very small, using a seated Buddha and two coercive attendants in the four-leaf pattern, and using a celestial person in the arc. Class B Buddha statue eight phoenix mirror popular in the middle and late 3rd century, the number is larger, is the mainstream of the Buddha statue eight phoenix mirror, in addition to the use of A type mirror Buddha statue ornamentation, in the four-leaf pattern of the new sitting Buddha sitting in the double beast lotus seat single seated Buddha, half-stomped statue and double heavenly figure, the outer edge of the ornamental belt also began to appear in the image of the celestial being. The eight phoenix mirrors of the C class Buddha that were popular at the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th century were the end of the development of the eight phoenix mirrors, and the Buddha statue ornaments gradually disappeared with the decline of this type of mirror.
Second, the shape and theme of Buddhist motifs
According to the shape, the Buddhist patterns decorated by the Eight Phoenix Mirror can be divided into three categories: seated Buddha, heavenly people and contemplative statues, all of which only have silhouettes, and do not show specific details such as facial features, gestures, and clothing patterns. The seated Buddha has two shapes, three statues of the Two Heavenly Attendants (Fig. 6, 1) and a single statue (Fig. 6, 2) sitting on the lotus seat of the double beast. The head of the celestial being is close to the Buddha statue, and there are two forms of expression, one is a straighter body, which seems to be a frontal image, mostly used in pairs, and a small number of individual users are also seen; and the other body is curved in a U-shape, flying, all of which appear independently (Figure 6, 4-6). The statues are half-squatting, with umbrella figures on one side and kneeling figures on the other side (Fig. 6, 3).
From the perspective of time, the earliest patterns that appeared were seated Buddhas and celestial beings. Among them, the seated Buddha first appeared on the A-class mirror, which was three statues of the Buddha sitting on the lotus seat and on both sides of the heavenly attendant, the B-type mirror followed this shape, and a single statue sitting on the lotus seat of the double beast appeared, and the sitting Buddha no longer appeared in the C-class mirror. It is worth noting that both shapes of the seated Buddha appear lotus seats, which are not the mainstream ornaments in Indian Buddhist images in the 3rd century. The 3rd century was the most prosperous period of Buddhist art in India, and Gandhara and Modra were both the origins of Buddha statues and the centers of Buddhist art. In contrast, the lotus constellation is basically not found in the Mochira region, but it appears occasionally in gandhara carvings in the early 3rd century, mainly in Maitreya Bodhisattva, with one Buddha and two bodhisattvas as the center or in the carvings with the theme of "The Divine Transformation of the Acropolis", because it is impossible to confirm whether the Bodhisattva statue appears in the eight phoenix mirrors of the Buddha statue, so the theme of the Lotus Constellation should be found from the "Divine Transformation of the Acropolis" theme carving. The "Divine Transformation of the She'acropolis" is found in the "Sutra of Wisdom and Foolishness" and "Fundamentally Says Everything There Is a Ministry of Vinaya Miscellaneous Matters", which tells the story of Shakya's surrender to the outer path by displaying a series of miracles in the She'acropolis. In the story, the Buddha sits on a lotus flower to show divine power, countless incarnations of the Buddha appear on the lotus, and the Buddha's body either emits fire, rain, or light. There are two common images of the theme, one is a flame emitted from the shoulder of the Buddha, and the water waves extending from the feet, which are presumed to be double gods; the other is the display of countless buddhas from the shoulders of the Buddha, which is presumed to be the manifestation of a thousand Buddhas (Figure 7, 1). In addition, there is a large Dharma diagram centered on the seated Buddha of the Wheel of Reincarnation, which also often uses a lotus seat. This kind of diagram has a complex structure, and there are many characters on the scene, and in addition to the characters who praise and make offerings around the Buddha, there are often images such as images of contemplation, foot crosses, and transfigurations of gods (Figure 7, 2). Although the content of its expression is controversial in academic circles, such as Takada Shu believes that it is the predecessor of the sutra chart, and Miyaji Akira compares it with the divine transformation of Shakyamuni Shakyamuni releasing great light in the preface to the Lotus Sutra, but its theme is that the miracle of manifesting the Buddha in the statement is clear. Whether it is the carving of the "Divine Transformation of the Acropolis" or the Dharma Diagram, it is based on the expression of the Buddha's miraculous powers, from which it can be seen that the seated Buddha ornament with a lotus seat used by the Eight Phoenix Mirror is likely to originate from the Gandhara region to show the image of the Buddha's miraculous power.
The two-beast lotus constellation appeared in the Eight Phoenix Mirrors of the Buddha in the mid-3rd century, as a slender head with a neck protruding from each side of the lotus constellation (Fig. 6, 2). The animal-shaped pedestals of this period mainly include the Indian constellation Leo, which is generally manifested as having two lions on both sides of the pedestal under the Buddha's body, which is not combined with the lotus constellation (Fig. 7, 3). From the morphological point of view, the double beasts with slender necks on both sides of the lotus seat are relatively close to the dragon and tiger images on both sides of the West Queen Mother Dragon tiger seat, which should be the Buddha seat shape created under the influence of the gods and immortals in the Wei and Jin dynasties.
Since the early 3rd century, Tianren has appeared in the Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror, and has been popular until the extinction of this mirror. Although the body posture is different, the celestials show their raised arms and fluttering draperies, and their bases are obviously the images of celestial beings in Indian Buddhist images. However, unlike the hand-held flowers, umbrella covers and other objects that appear in the Indian Buddhist images, and the offerings of celestial beings around the Buddha's body, the celestial figures in the Eight Phoenix Mirrors of the Buddha statues exist independently, and the way the head is expressed is similar to that of the Buddha statues, with flesh buns and headlights, which should be innovated by craftsmen on the basis of absorbing the images of Indian celestial beings, so as to distinguish the Buddhist images from the popular statues of gods and feathers at that time.
Si Wei is found in the B and C Buddha statues of the Eight Phoenix Mirrors, which appeared in the mid-3rd century and remained popular until the demise of the mirror species. The origin of the statue is in the Gandhara region of India, where there are carved carvings of a type of prince meditating under a tree, with an umbrella-holding attendant behind him, and an image of a worshipful figure standing or kneeling in front of him (Fig. 7, 4), which is very similar to the siwei statue in the Eight Phoenix Mirror, and Miyaji Akira presumes it as a scene of the king worshiping the prince according to the classics such as the Collected Sutras of the Buddha. This scene is also found in the "Buddha Says Prince Ruiying Benqi Sutra" translated by Zhi Qian during the Three Kingdoms Wu Period: "Wang Yin went to the field, and haruka saw the prince sitting under the tree, the sun was shining, the tree was a curved branch, and the yin was his body." The king was shocked, but he knew his god. Do not know how to get off the horse, for the sake of courtesy. "It is very likely that the contemplative statue of the Buddha Statue of the Eight Phoenix Mirror was based on this contemplative prince statue.
In summary, the Buddhist motif of the Eight Phoenix Mirror should have been created by the mirror-making craftsmen based on the images of the Buddha's miraculous powers and the Buddhist story diagram in the Gandhara region of India in the 3rd century, and distinguished it from the gods and immortals popular in the society at that time to highlight the Buddhist elements.
III. Early Buddhist beliefs in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the Han and Jin dynasties
The Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror incorporates the Buddha statue as a popular pattern into the creation of the bronze mirror, reflecting the spread of Buddhism in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the Han and Jin Dynasties. During the Huanling period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Luoyang, as the capital city, was not only the political, economic and cultural center, but also the central area for the spread of Buddhism, where An Shigao and Zhichen translated Buddhist scriptures, and Emperor Huan "set up a canopy to make a shrine floating map". Later, Zhi Qian, a disciple of the Zhiyan lineage, went south from Luoyang to Wudi to escape the wars at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and began translating Buddhist texts in Wuchang (present-day Ezhou, Hubei) in the first year of Huang Wu (222), and later continued his Buddhist translation career in Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). A disciple of the Anshe Gao lineage, the Kang Monk Society, also came to Jianye to preach in the tenth year of Chi Wu (247). Under the influence of ZhiQian and Kang Monks, early Buddhism was widely spread in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the appearance of the Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror was likely influenced by the southern transmission of Buddhism in the north.
Images are a more popular means of preaching to the masses, and it can be seen from the materials of the Buddha statue Eight Phoenix Mirror that the popular Buddhist images of this period focus on telling the origin of the Buddha and emphasizing its power beyond ordinary people, which is compatible with the overall development of Buddhism at that time. At the beginning of the spread of Buddhism, it was necessary to explain to the public why the Buddha was a god, and preaching in a way that preached the gods was in line with the popular ideas of the gods and immortals in the society at that time, and it was easier to be accepted by the public. This can also be verified by translation activities. During this period, Zhiqian translated the "Brahma-Moryu Sutra" that described the thirty-two phases of the Buddha and the "Prince Ruiying Benqi Sutra" that told the Buddha's life, and the Kang monks would translate the "Six Degrees collection of sutras" that collected various Bunsen stories, and correspondingly, a large number of stories and legends about Buddhist miracles appeared in society, such as: Kang monks would burn incense and pray, so that relics appeared out of thin air in copper bottles, and the hammer was struck without damage; Huang Wu's third year (224) in Wuchang translated the "Lotus Sutra" wei zhen, who originally believed in paganism, was inspired by the divine power of senior monks to believe in Buddhism; and so on.
In addition to Buddhist patterns, there are phoenix birds, beasts, gods, etc. From the inscriptions of some eight phoenix mirrors, most of these patterns have certain auspicious meanings. For example": The Green Dragon white tiger lives around. Divine fish immortal akamatsu nuts. The Eight Lords are facing each other in the ancient beginnings. Changyi descendants. "Left dragon right tiger, □ fu to remove the central." ...... Vermilion Phoenix Emperor. Celestial Gathering, Brother Yi. "The Buddhist motifs are mixed with the images of gods and goddesses and beasts in the mirror-back ornamentation, and there is no obvious difference in status between them, indicating that they may only be used as a kind of auspicious pattern and do not have obvious Connotations of Buddhist beliefs."
In previous studies, early Buddha statues have been considered to be a mixed state of god and Buddha, reflecting the characteristics of the early stages of the spread of Chinese Buddhism. However, from the current data, the early use of Buddhist images of the artifacts often do not have obvious religious beliefs, but the Buddhist images as a kind of auspicious pattern for daily necessities such as copper mirrors, which reflects the tolerance of early Buddhism in the Han and Jin dynasties with Shenxian Taoism as the mainstream belief. At the same time, the early Buddha statues as decorative motifs have their fixed morphological characteristics, indicating that the public has a certain degree of awareness of the shape of the Buddha statue, and does not simply confuse it with the Taoist figures of the gods. Therefore, a correct understanding of the early situation of the spread of Buddhism in China requires the separation of Buddhist cultural factors from the mixed state of gods and Buddhas, and this article is such an attempt. The Eight Phoenix Mirror of the Buddha statue reflects only a small aspect of early Buddhism, and can be combined with the study of other artifacts decorated with Buddhist motifs in the future to explore it from a variety of perspectives.