The divinity and animal design mirror unearthed from a rock-cut tomb at Hejiashan, Sichuan province, belongs to the system of mirrors with divinity and animal designs in three zones and distinctly differs from those of the Wu system in the middle and lower Yangtze River valley. It should be classified as one of the “Shu mirrors” in the upper Yangtze River. Bearing the southern cultural tradition, mirrors with divinity and animal designs in three zones feature that the representation of the immortal world on them does not centre on the images of Huangdi, Shennong and Cangji but emphasizes the sacred icons of Shun (Dijun), Ehuang and Ntiying, characteristic of the southern cultural tradition and strong regionalism. The figure of Xiwangmu on them also differ from that in other areas, showing a distinctive relationship of evolution and replacement with early Buddhist images in the Sichuan region.
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