Before entering society, you must watch The Godfather trilogy. From middle school when I followed my dad to now, about to graduate, I always pause when I see certain scenes. The recurring theme throughout the movies is how important it is to have connections.

Having connections does not mean you lack ability; on the contrary, it shows you have the qualification to participate in benefit exchanges. Trying to find someone to settle a problem but having no one to turn to indicates your social standing and qualifications are not enough to do this kind of business. Your face and skills are not valued by others.
The mortician’s father teaches Vito Corleone a lesson about small thugs, and Michael seeks Italian friends to facilitate the Vatican project. The importance of money and status is far less than the invisible, intangible, yet subtle relationships. The Corleone family went from Vito smuggling into New York to Michael building a white-collar business empire—step by step upgrading and leveling up, elevating their skills to be on par with their network, repeating this process to achieve success.
Not to mention Shanghai, but based on what I saw and heard in the Godfather’s hometown: without connections, you can hardly move forward. Overseas Chinese have friends who are police officers, so their businesses are rarely affected, and even thieves know not to mess with their shops. Without local Chinese business associations, it’s easy for competitors to gang up and shut down your business.
To workers in Beishan, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen: instead of trying to elevate the image of big cities, it’s better to enrich yourself and work hard to integrate into the community. As a generation of immigrants, fooling yourself with such ideas is like tying a rope around your neck and slowly strangling yourself. The day you get hit hard by the importance of relationships is the moment the rope tightens quickly.