Contrary to the popular myth, both Chinese and Western societies take connections seriously.

US businesses openly encourage their employees to recommend those they feel are fit for hire, be they friends, family members or college buddies.

When I first heard of this policy, I was dumbstruck. Here in China, "recommendations" of this kind are usually made in private because they often imply a degree of incompetence of the prospects.

The crux is the level of competency of the recommended and whether those incompetent will receive equal treatment or gain points for knowing an insider.

In a private business, one generally does not need to worry about favoritism as the mechanism is set in favor of accountability.

However, if it is other people's money you are playing with, you may have no qualms losing it by planting cronies in positions they are not qualified for.

The Chinese concept of connections is built mostly on family ties. Family is a basic societal unit and one is defined by his position in a family.

If you are the elder brother, you have a responsibility to help your younger siblings, and that may include - but isn't limited to - getting jobs and perks for them.

Of course, people with no family ties also engage in the swapping of interests, but the smoothest way is to couch it in familial terms.

Hence, the younger Gao in the novel made himself the "son" of the senior, powerful Gao.

A recent joke in China goes like this: A father is dragged into the mud by his "adopted" daughters or his birth sons. Well, everyone knows an "adopted" daughter is not really a blood relative, but rather, a euphemism for a trophy wife - before she attains the title of the spouse, that is.

In Li Shuangjiang's case, it is hard to reach a conclusion about the degree of the father's culpability.

The same goes for his hypocrisy.

The elder Li said he had been indoctrinating positive values into his child, but the youngster turned out the wrong way.

For more coverage by Raymond Zhou, click here