International student at non target Chinese uni, how to get first IB-relevant internships?

Hi monkeys,

Im an incoming international student studying Finance at Wuhan University (top 10 in China, but im aware that its non target for finance recruiting).

My long term goal is to do a Master’s in HK and possibly break into IB recruiting there. For now im focused on getting my first internships in mainland China, ideally in M&A, boutique IB, PE, or Big 4 deals/advisory.

Constraints:
- Non-target
- International student visa
- Not in Beijing/Shanghai
- Limited chinese proficiency (for now)

My questions are:
1. Most realistic way to land first IB-relevant internship in China (what activities, extracurriculars, where do i network, and how to stand out)?
2. How important is Mandarin
(is HSK5++ basically required for anything client facing or even smaller boutiques)?
3. Is visa a major issue to get an intern?
4. How realistic is transitioning to HK IB recruiting later on (what should I do now to maximize my chances for hk masters & recruiting)?

Would really appreciate any advice from people who’ve gone through China/HK recruiting.

Thank you very much!