The Chinese Media are the lapdogs of the powers that be. They are at the forefront of fanning the flames of anti-expat sentiments. Of course, they would never expose the exploitation of big businesses both foreign and domestic due to the connections that both of these types of entities have. But lo and behold if an F Visa or Student Visa toting foreigner gets into an argument with a local or gets conned by some unscrupulous local oldie falling to the ground then it's WITCH HUNTING TIME!

As for your embassy, they will not help you unless it is a kind of "Sensational" figure like a celebrity or a defecting high ranking government official with juicy, valuable information on higher ups in the Government. They might make a phone call to protest but unless you are being imprisoned for a lengthy time or face the death penalty you can forget about huge involvements.