The first line of the inscription yu zhi wu fu wu dai tang ji (Imperial inscription to commemorate the Hall of the Five Blessings in Five Generations) refers to the birth of the Emperor's first great-great-grandson in 1784, the fifth generation to live under his roof. It describes how this was an extemely auspiscious and unprecedented event for which the Emperor painted a calligraphic plaque bearing the characters wu fu wu dai tang for display in the Yuan Ming Yuan (The Garden of Perfect Brightness or Old Summer Palace) and the Yong He Gong (the Lamasery) in Beijing. It would appear that the incense burner was also made for use in these two places. The inscription describes the origin of the name wu fu wu dai tang, the choice of calligrapher for the inscription and the significance of five generations living under one roof. It then goes on to extol the Emperor's achievements and virtues and to reflect upon his happiness and long life. The inscription is signed and bears the seal of the salt commissioner Zheng Rui, a very powerful official during Qianlong's reign. The seal is preceded by the character chen, a term used by civil officials when addressing the throne.