Old China
Old China is symbolized in many ways by Adeline's memory of her mother. The death of the mother coincides with the downfall of Old China. The new China is Mao's Red China, but the imagery of China before that movement is an ancient imagery filled with folklore and beautiful art. The somewhat wealthy family from this story is one whose home is steeped in Chinese imagery and decor. When they move to Hong Kong, they leave that China behind. When Adeline revisits later in life, she can see that what China used to be is gone forever.
Mao's regime and escape
The Communist Revolution and Mao's rise to power are colored red, and China becomes Red China. The Red Wave sweeps through the community, a signal to the bourgeoisie that nothing will stop the equalizing force of Communism. The redness of the movement is a threat of bloodshed, and the rumors of what has already begun happening near the capital are enough to make this family move. They abandon their things and take what they can and escape as political refugees.
Life in the West
Adeline's experience of the West begins in England when she moves there to attend medical school. She realizes that in Hong Kong, regarded by her family as a kind of gateway to the West, her performance is honored. She realizes that by working hard and by pursuing academic excellence, she can attain a chance at a good career, and it works. In England, she succeeds at school, and when she moves to America to be married, it is another drastic change of culture.
Family dysfunction
For Adeline, life is one long string of uncomfortable situations in her family. From the horrible death of her mother to the death of her father, everything in-between is filled with dysfunction and frustration. She is mistreated by a stepmother who doesn't even let her keep the name her mother gave her, renaming her Adeline, to whom the father leaves his entire inheritance, giving nothing to Adeline. Even in her westernized life, her husband ends up being a violent, unpredictable man. Adeline's experience of family is one of pain and liability.
