You don't say how long you teach them for, it could be anything from 40 minutes to even four hours. However, you sound happy about things and that's half the battle in life since none of us know when that spectre who rests on all our shoulders will summons the Grim Reaper our time being up- could be an iffy dumpling,tomorrow, we knoweth not. Yep, if you can enjoy yourself even on 1500 a month make the most of it since pain and trouble is always there waiting. Listen, don't eat out too much in China, I had a mate who woke up dead after eating a hamburger in England, let alone China, where the odds for that must be at least a hundred times.

Yes, Turnoi is good value for money and without the likes of him Chinese bosses would ride completely rough-shod over FT's.

I'm glad you've gone into detail on how it's possible to live a good life in a third-tier city of a poor province of China off of 3500 Yuan/month. Unlike you, too many posters on here are trying to give the rest of us a false impression of the buying power of an FT's salary. I hope your post will help silence them.
Your particular employer must be delighted at hiring such a conscientious FT for a relatively low salary. I've always said 4000 a month is the lowest I'd accept for a 16 lesson a week stint at a public college/university in a Chinese backwater place. But I've loads of teaching experience, a bachelor's degree and a teaching qualification. I suspect you'd be on 4000 or 4500 if you had a proper degree. The other thing about Sichuan is you can teach there without a Z visa in a backwater place without worrying about being nailed by immigration. Be fully aware the local police will know about you if you are doing so, but will turn a blind eye to that. Likely they'll be on good terms with your university. Just don't attract attention to yourself by getting into a fist fight in the street, or something like that, and you'll be left alone by the authorities. Finally, I agree with you that Turnoi is a trip.

Jesus! Are you only doing five classes a week and have a penthouse of a flat, with free tasty students on toast?

My reaction to invites to renew contract is always "lets get this contract over first, pay me everything you owe me and then we can sit down and talk about it"

I would never have even taken a job for that wage; however, we don't know if you're that cool blue-eyed dude from Pennsylvania and sadly that matters in China. Tailor-made advice is what you need, so give us your measurements.

Still holds true that we should all do our sums taking every variable into consideration before making the next move.