Tradition can be dangerous
Although China could be used as a case study for the value of tradition, the writer and subject of this memoir are both aware of an inherent danger within tradition and traditional ways of life. In China, tradition comes with an awareness of honor and shame, and that has inherent dangers in cases like Yu-i's when she realizes she needs to obtain a divorce from her abusive husband. Her disinterest in tradition makes her willing to accept shame for doing what is right for herself, and it protects her in other ways, like her feet for instance, which she spares from binding.
The competency of women
Yu-i's life is proof that women are competent and powerful, despite her community chronically underestimating her abilities. The women of this family are of historical importance for their contributions, even when traditional ideas about gender were commonly believed in their community. For Yu-i, that is also a theme in her own personal life because she believes in herself enough to survive without a husband to support her. There were many critics of her behavior in her community, and so she often had to overcome quite a significant challenge to succeed at all, let alone to the extent she did succeed.
Eastern and Western culture
Yu-i's life earns her an insight into the cultural variety of the earth, as she often travels for work. In America, she finds that cultural assumptions are far more individualistic and emotionally detached from the personal lives of others, even others in their community. She also realizes that various vices and habits are common among people of either setting, and her insight about the differences between East and West end up making her highly valuable to the government. She flies through the ranks and becomes the first female vice president of the state bank.
