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I don't know why he thought this was good, to imitate what foreigners did, as if everything Western were good, everything Chinese not so good.
 

Winnie says this about her uncle in Chapter 6. Winnie's uncle takes on foreign hobbies, like English gardening, and has even built a part of his house in China to look like an English Manor. This illustrates the foreign influences that existed in China during the 20s and 30s and also links Winnie and Pearl's experiences of growing up. Where Pearl had grown up in America with her parents' "foreign" influences, so had Winnie grown up in China with English and American influences.

There is a whole scene in which Winnie's mother takes her out into the city and shows her foreign things like American Sundaes, which, significantly, her mother does not eat herself because they are "too sweet." However, Winnie's mother is not showing her just what the foreigners have brought but is also showing her the Chinese Market and allowing her to experience things particular to her home. This mixture is what makes the day so wonderful.

Later, serious issues of colonialism and right to rule will arise during the war, and many will protest against foreign interference. These are issues that show themselves in different guises all throughout history and appear even today in the relationship between England and Ireland, the United States and Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine.

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