This is the box which holds the Mahjong tiles thought to be from Tibet. Its center is inset bone, as are the four round corners. They seem to be the four activities of the scholar: top left, clockwise: music, the game of go, writing, and painting.

These are images from Wikipedia which helped with the possible identifications; the paintings were done by an unknown Ming artist.

You can see the musical instrument on the lower left. Note too the peacock, peonies, and the plants in pots.

 

 

Here is the game of go, played on a square board. You can also see tea being poured, a wall behind the go players, and a person carrying a fan.

 

Here the scholar is doing calligraphy. You will also note the ornate table, the ginger jar in the background, and once again the wall behind.

 

The scholar is holding a paint brush which also resembles a fly whisk. He is copying the painting presented to him.

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A figure riding a water buffalo and playing a flute is very common in Chinese art. Here is a sculpture from liveauctioneers:

 

Here is the link to this image:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/14925142_two-chinese-carved-ivory-immortals