The kite
The kite represents clear discernment. It represents the ethical virtue of discernment, the ability to understand the unseen principles of nature and to behave in a successful way toward them. It's risky business to face the truth like this, but it's necessary for the development of integrity.
Alcohol and gambling
Alcohol and gambling are symbols in the novel. What do they represent? They represent the real life trap of addiction and pleasure-seeking habits. They represent the central challenge in life, to resist moral corruption through compromise.
The Jade Circus
The depiction of high art and entertainment is the Jade Circus, with a mysterious, powerful ring-leader called the Great Miao. This symbol represents some sort of divine idea, and when Kublai Khan comes, it's obvious. This image is the image of human divinity and its expression through art.
The imagery of violence
When Uncle Bo wraps his fingers around the throat of an innocent young man, he is demonstrating his attitude toward life itself. He is a violent being, opposed to life. He is willing to take life to get what he wants. This connection between violence and power is uncanny, because it's so easy to think, "I just did what I had to do," and to secretly mean, "I deserve to get what I want like a god." Violence is the second one. Non-violence is the obvious choice.
