Though the surface design of this mirror is fantastically complex, its greatest significance is the inscription cast on its border:

The sages made this mirror with the essence of the Five Elements. The images and designs are derived from the fundamental principles. Its brilliance is like the sun and moon, and its character firm and clear. When you see your face in the mirror, it dispels all harms and woes. May the Central Kingdom (i.e., China) be peaceful and secure, and prosper for generations and generations to come, by following the great law that governs all.

These lines express explicitly the spirit of the age, when people from all parts of the empire began to identify themselves as Chinese, and China as their common homeland