PART THREE – The Expedition for “Wei Mirror” by Ade Tong

As a Tomb Raider / Lara Croft fan, my heart could not stop exploring after all the research I have done in the library and internet.  I decided to seek the “Wei Mirror” in real life, the good news was, it’s currently resides in Luoyang Museum of China.

Photo was taken at Luoyang Museum, China on Jan. 1st ,2017 by Ade Tong

So, I arrived in Luoyang on January 1st, 2017. Knowing that I was doing something so Lara Croft like was pretty awesome, you just can’t start the year off any better. And with the help from Webmaster - Mr. Zzer of Tomb Raider China, who lent me a brand-new Lara Croft figure to travel with made it even more special.

However, Ms. Croft apparently does not have good reputation in the world of Antiquities When I tried to access the security check point of this national museum, the guard found Lara in my bag and told me “No Tomb Raiders are allowed in here, Ma’am”. 

But eventually I sneaked in with Lara (Sorry Luoyang Museum!)  and together we spotted the “Wei Mirror” behind some thick bulletproof glass. Because of the significances of the Wei mirror, it plays a very important role as one of the most priceless artifacts in the museum, located in the center of Wei Dynasty Exhibition Hall. 

Photo was taken at Luoyang museum ,China by Ade Tong

The real “Wei Mirror” (above) is about 30 centimeters in diameter. What we are looking at is the back of the Mirror, due to Chinese tradition, the front side of the mirror cannot be shown. One can tell just how much of a prized position, and how much of a significance this artifact has by the care the museum takes to maintain its safety and preservation. As the information plate says, while the core design of the Wei and Han mirror are similar in nature, one can tell how the intricacies and style has evolved.

There are still a lot of controversy about this artifact between Japan and China. Some scholars believe it was gift sent from China to Himiko, others believed Himiko sent it to China.

But for me, I was happy that I finally get to see it after such a long trip.  I have found the mirror that could in theory save the soul of Samantha – Lara’s Best friend. 

Unfortunately, this is a treasure that neither I nor Lara can just take away. Although, I secretly wished that it could protect the soul of Sam. I never wanted to believe in fairy tales more and with the rich long history of this Artifact, one can’t help but want it to be real.

Image Resource : Dark Horse Tomb Raider 2016

Epilogue from the Author

As a Big Tomb Raider fan, I have been following Tomb Raider Comics for a long time, and I particularly like Lara’s best friend – Sam. She is loyal, faithful friend in Lara’s life, and sometimes she can be a bad ass, too!  Unfortunately, I don’t quite understand the current story line between her and Lara, so I spent months on research and investigation to understand “Wei Mirror” and the myth behind it. 

For me, seeking for this artifact seemed to be the only thing that can save Sam’s soul. Finally Standing in front of the artifact and making a wish that Sam would be safe after all, I could understand how Lara must have felt in her desire to save her friend.  My Trip to Luoyang, was a worthwhile trip.

If you are like me, please know that there are thousands of fans in China who really enjoy the friendship between Lara and Sam. And we don’t understand why or how the story developed like this. Due to both language and media barriers, it is hard for us to express our opinions, but we do hope that Official don’t take our silence as ignorance.

Finally, thanks to Ms. Rhianna Pratchett. We are very fond of all your work, and sorry to hear about your departure from Tomb Raider series. Wish you all the best!

Read the First and Second part of this article here: http://www.tombraider.cn/comicnews/aritcle3481.html

Ade Tong is a senior Law School student in China. She is planning to take her next big trip to Xi’an in 2017.

This article was written by Ade Tong. Translated by Gould. 

Edited by June in January 16, 2017