Lao Jin is both a mother and a father figure to Xiu Xiu. In one scene Xiu Xiu falls asleep with her hands on Lao Jin's gun. He carefully removes it from her without waking her. In another scene he finds a nest of eggs and greedily cracks one open and eats it. Chen is very aware of her visuals.
Water plays an important part as well, as a symbol of a woman's sexual desire.
Xiu Xiu is fond of bathing, and must cleanse herself after each lover. Early in the movie, a young boyfriend of Xiu Xiu's calls up to her window where she is bathing above. Excited, she jumps up out of the water to see him, unafraid of being naked. In one scene, Lao Jin digs a bathtub for her on the top of a hill. As the movie progresses, water is on hand less and less until it comes to symbolize death itself.