This octagonal lacquered box contains seven smaller boxes and ten square plates. The lids of the big and small boxes alike have the patterns that reflect the process of tea-making. In order to meet the export demand for tea, tea-making workshops of considerable size were set up in the Henan district of Guangzhou during the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras of the Qing dynasty. The working scenes inside the workshops became common patterns on export wares.