The feet binding of Yu-Fang
One of the novel's clearest symbols is unfortunately factual, historically speaking. During the era of Chinese history when Yu-Fang was born, it was popular for families to vie for better lives by binding the feet of young Chinese girls. This literally represented the cultural attraction toward petite, childlike women for wives, and figuratively, it is a candid picture of what family's forced on their daughters purely for financial gain—they were even willing to permanantly impair her in one of the most essential human ways.
The trek across China
When Bao goes to Nanjing to learn military tactics and combat training, she is forced to walk there, across the entire continent, basically. The unimaginable walk is so long that she miscarries a child. She perseveres, though, so Bao's story is one of survival, long-suffering, and ultimately one of pain and martyrdom. This is all captured in this one symbol—the wayward sojourner who struggles and dies without understanding how broken and unjust her culture really is.
The miscarriage
When Bao miscarries her child, her husband takes that as a sign that she isn't invested in her role as a mother, and he disowns her from himself, telling her that he will no longer observe her needs or desires whatsoever. This means that Bao is judged for her performance in a very broken society. But, she was raised by a father who barely knew her mother, and who owned her as property. The miscarriage shows that ultimately, Bao herself experiences a figurative and literal 'loss of life' because of the effects of her surroundings.
Chang's escape from China
When Chang leaves China, there is the impression that she is somehow taking her matriarchs with her in her very body and in her identity as a woman. She honors their suffering by not staying in her own culture or society, by judging that China was no longer a place she could reside in good conscious. That doesn't mean she hates China or something; the decision to leave is no doubt painful but redemptive, because in Europe, life is different in every way. She feels hopeful when she escapes.
Education as the portal to a new life
In Jung Chang's description of her life, she frames her urgent passion for education as a need for hope. That means that she feels naturally that education is her best shot at escaping China and making a good life for herself in Europe. She feels that in order to be successful in that transition, that she should prepare by focusing on English and learning to speak and understand English speakers. This hard work, and the support of her university, help her to be ready to find a new life for herself in England.
