This is nonsense. Particularly this statement. "The US Embassy, Beijing, published statement states that teachers' salaries in China are as high as $40,000 per year, and $15 per hour for part time work."

Yes they did make that statement but qualified it by stating that is for CAREER teachers...in other words people who have a valid teacher's license back home.

Also the places that pay that amount are comparatively limited

"Options for career teachers include private college preparatory programs for Chinese students, international schools for children of expatriates, and universities for higher-level students. These jobs are often extremely competitive"

In other words most teachers who come to China will not be able or qualified to take one of those jobs. Yes you shouldn't teach for 4000-5000 dollars a year...but let's not get carried away. Those jobs that pay 40,000 dollars a year are right at the top of the food chain so far as ESL jobs in China go and there are very few of them compared to the number of foreign teachers that enter China. Most people will end up making 8-13 thousand RMB a month