would you know what to do here in China -- my housing is pretty sh-tty, and my school is not doing anything about it... for the last two months I've been leaving inside a very basic laundry room (yes, 1 room, no kitchen, no living room, no dining room, no bathroom, no furniture, just old school' tables and chairs), with my toilet located on the balcony, with the winds blowing thru -- no glass of any kind -- showerig in the cold, going to the toilet in the cold, etc.

Anon, you need to take pictures of the place you're living at right now. Take detailed pics of every room and please keep them in a safe place. You need to find out the location of the Foreign Experts Bureau in the city that you are working in. But you might need to go to the main Foreign Experts Bureau that represents the whole of Guangdong Province in order to get a more effective result. What we want to do here is to make the ones who are supposed to monitor your employer feel the pressure of doing their job. Here is the official website for the Guangdong Foreign Experts Bureau:

http://guangdong.caiep.org/index.php

The address at the bottom in Chinese reads:
广东省外国专家局
地址：广州市东风中路309号广东大厦1828 邮编：510045
电话：综合处：83134790 专家证办理：83348844 � 真：020-83340575 E-mail:gdaiep@21cn.com

English:

Guangdong Foreign Experts Bureau
Address: Guangzhou City DongFeng Middle Road 309 Guangdong Tower Suite 1828, Postal Code 510045
Telephone: 83134790 Foreign Experts Certificate Registration Office: 83348844 Fax: 020-83340575 Email: gdaiep@21cn.com

I would not recommend doing email. Call them and make an appointment. Please state the problem and give them your Foreign Expert Cetificate number and make a time to go there and show them the evidence. You should prepare a written statement as well to present.

I would also start looking for a new job at this point. The reason for this is so that when you go to the FE Office in Guangzhou you can say that you have something better lined up if they do not take care of your situation and that if this issue cannot be resolved you would like a Release Letter from your current employer ASAP. Do not let the school cancel your Foreign Experts Certificate by giving the booklet back to them because that would mean your Resident Permit can then be cancelled without them ever laying their hands on your passport! When you change employers in China bring both your FE Certificate as well as your Certificate of Health as you might be exempt from getting another health check (although this isn't guaranteed especially if your new job is in another province) and with your FE Certificate not being cancelled it is easier to transfer your Experts status for your new employer.

You deserve better. Do not let a bad living situation ruin your chances of enjoying yourself even in china.