We meet a young Chang Yu-i (the aunt of Pang-Mei Chang) who was born and raised after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in China. The changing political landscape was a natural setting for Yu-i's life, as she embodies the movement away from traditional ideas and into a different future. As a child, Yu-i deliberately rejects the local custom of foot-binding young girls. Her parents are vaguely traditional, yet fair and lenient, so they never forced the issue when Yu-i went her own way.
Yu-i is given away by her family in an arranged marriage to Hsu Chi-mo and agrees gravely and dutifully. She does not feel a marital love between them, as Chi-mo's aloof and thoughtful nature makes him emotionally unavailable and tense. As their marriage goes along, Yu-i realizes that Chi-mo is also a man of extreme moods, and he often harasses her or abuses her. Before long, she demands a divorce and her husband reluctantly accepts. They are made the objects of scorn in their community, but Yu-i does not mind that.
She gives herself to her career, working very hard, both in China and in America whenever projects take her abroad. That's where she is when her second child dies tragically, prompting a return to China that lasts for a long time. She has attained enough experience in America to understand the nuances of Western business and culture, and this makes her exceptionally valuable to her employers. She eventually rises through the ranks of government bureaucracy becoming the first woman to be Vice President of China's national bank.
