The scene alludes to the tale of filial piety, Wobing Qiuli, which tells the story of a poverty stricken young man melting ice on a frozen-over river so that he is able to catch fish to feed his ailing mother. A comparable box of this same shape of polychrome lacquer, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated Gugong Bowuguang Cang Diaoqi, Beijing, 1985, no. 289. The Beijing peach box depicts the Daoist Immortal Zhang Guolao seated on a horse galloping across the sea. Another identifiable story is also found on a related circular box of an earlier 16th century date, sold in these Rooms, 1 May 2000, lot 814; where the upper facing surface of the box depicts a scene from the story of Ming Huang of the Tang dynasty, whom in his old age dreamt of his deceased consort Yang Guifei's return as an immortal.

The peach shape and the double-gourd motifs are both symbols of longevity. As such, it is highly possible that the present box was made as a birthday present to a giftee whom the Emperor wanted to impress on the theme of filial piety. The additional melon motif further emphasizes filial responsibility as the fruit's many seeds symbolises the wish for many sons, thus continuing the family line.