Don’t feel the need to be loyal to those that do not deserve your loyalty, I have made the mistake of joining a lower quality employer due to my self-esteem taking a blow at the time and it just made things worse, until for some reason I realised that I should stick up for myself and put up a fight. Then, things started to improve.

This is not just a work thing, it can apply in other areas of life too. For example, I’ve seen guys getting whipped by a bitch of a wife or girlfriend or even when your mates just taking liberties in general, you have just got to establish where the limits lie. There's a need to balance modesty and politeness with self belief and self respect.

Unfortunately the old saying that nice guys finish last has some truth, but it doesn't mean that you have to sell out either. Rejecting the whole ‘Meiyou Banfa’ thing is not just childishly rebelling against a foreign communist superpower, it is about standing up for yourself as a strong individual, China may have a collectivist culture but as a Laowai, you will always be an outsider to this, therefore you've got to be a little selfish about things.