Sam entered a world of iceboxes, horse-drawn buggies and, commonly, outhouses.

In those days, refrigerators really were iceboxes, cooled by chunks of ice whose size varied according to the size of the appliance.

Iceboxes made of wood were widely used in the Qing royal court. Due to the weak conductivity of heat, lead or tin was put inside the box to extend the hours for preserving the natural ice.