If you have ever taken a train, travelled in a taxi or even visited a local office in China, you would have seen this tea jar. Every morning, people put their favourite tea leaves into the jar and pour in hot water.
It keeps the drinker going for the rest of the day. The tea jar is originally a Nescafe container. It was the first coffee brand in China. You can find people buying the gift pack for friends and relatives in the festive season.
Once the coffee is consumed, they still keep the coffee jar for their Chinese tea.
I have asked people why they like to use this jar for their tea. Some like the jar's volume (enough tea for a long time), some like the size (it's easy to grab in one hand), some like the seal (which stops leakage and retains the tea taste), some like the portability. And even if it breaks, it is not too expensive to buy another. Actually, you can find people selling this jar in railway stations; it costs around a few yuan.
I think it is a great example of how consumers re-interpret products, and turn them into something they want. I have never seen another example of an ordinary packaging, which has found widespread acceptance for a reason beyond its original purpose.