[Madame Wu] put out her little hand and rested it on his arm for a moment in a gesture of affection so rare that it startled him. She did not easily endure the touch of another human being, even her own children’s.
-- Narration (Chapter 1)

Importance: This quote vividly indicates an important aspect of Madame Wu's character as the novel begins.

But in a great house servants were like furniture, used without heeding.”
-- Narration (Chapter 1)

Importance: This quote succinctly portrays the different levels of status traditionally upheld between masters and servants in a Chinese household of this time and place.

He stood in their midst, the center of them all. And yet [Madame Wu] thought musingly, it was not he himself, not this simple creature, who so held their hopes in him. Were he to die, another would take his place. No, he was a symbol of continuing life. It was the symbol which held all...
-- Narration (Chapter 1)