Great all that happened before you ever came to China. In Dongbei a contract means nothing, there are places that will falsify your signature for the official contract agreement with the government, some others you will never see a copy of your contract, and the one that you sign has no value whatsoever, unless of course you break it, and then you will be threaten and might lose your chance to teach here for a while.

Be very careful to choose where you go, and try to stay far from Dongbei. That's almost like another world, things "work" so different in there.

And you are right when you say they treat you as if they were making you a favor, that's their way to see foreigners there, they think we come to China because we have no better at home.

Good luck and I hope you find a better place than that