You have hit the nail on the head there. A principle part of Chinese TA training ay Yundump IELTS concentrates on spying on your foreign teacher. Every month they all get together in their squalid HQ where they have to all in turn tell everybody else what their FT has been getting up to.

If being spied upon irks you, you'd better not come to China. If you are employed direct by a school, you'll be spied upon just the same! The difference is things will be reported to the school's leaders by the Chinese teachers. River and co don't do that for obvious reasons. The training you mention has not been held at the side-street premises of the company for some years now. they meet up at a new building. A caterer provided food and drink for last year's Christmas party in a big hall there, so I heard from my t/a who attended it. I didn't attend it as to do so would have involved an overnight hotel stay in Yuncheng, and all FTs were expected to prepare performances, which isn't Western party culture! The T/As were made to give performances - I felt sorry for them! I disagree with this tripe!