Chinese boxes
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Chinese boxes are a set of boxes of graduated size, each fitting inside the next larger box.
A traditional style in Chinese design, nested boxes have proved a popular packaging option in the west for novelty or display reasons.
The Russian nesting doll (matrioshka), is a modern interpretation of this form. Invented as an 'authentic' folk toy by crafter Sergei Maliutin in 1891, this first Russian Doll set was actually created on commission from a noble family to make a Russian version of a similar Japanese doll (Figes, O. (2002) Natasha's Dance: A cultural history of Russia. Penguin Books. London).
As with the above example, such Chinese nested boxes have inspired similar forms of packaging around the world, but also have found use as a figurative description, providing an illustrative example to demonstrate situations of conceptually nested or recursive arrangements.
In literature a Chinese box structure refers to a novel or drama that is told in the form of a narrative, inside a narrative, giving veiws from different perspectives. An example of this is Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
