Your story may sound different at first glance, but is rather similar to what I have seen from new Chinese immigrants who live in Chinatown as well as elsewhere in the USA and Canada. Many of them are older folks who would be forced into retirement if they stayed in China, and even if they could find work it would be menial with very low pay. In the USA as well as Canada they can apply for food stamps as well as welfare whether they have stayed illegally or not. I am sure that listening to you talking about how great China is for you they would merely shake their heads and talk about the West being just as good, of course not every one of them would do this, only the honest ones.

The point is, the free market is really the best indicator of how much ground an individual's opinion has. To begin with any of us working as an ESL Teacher whether we have made it to management or even own our own private business masquerading as "education" cannot be perceived as being beyond mediocre performance wise in the competitive world of business. The West has contributed more value to the world economy than any other region within the last few hundred years, and due to this there will still be many, many more people who want to go to the West instead of the reverse. Even if there are more teachers going overseas due to the shabby economy in the West if you look at pure salary China and East Asia in general is not at the very top for the majority, that would be the Middle East. As for the treatment of teachers China is certainly not at the top, or even batting average I would say. The fact that you yourself stated that to make 5000 rmb would afford a lifestyle to live like a "king" in a city like Hangzhou goes to show everyone how lacking in scope you actually possess about the ESL world.

I understand for an older person like you working at a training center as an ESL English Teacher may be the only option that you have right now for yourself, but this isn't so for the majority of people. I know an older gentleman who is American, has worked in the ESL industry for 20+ years, and because he is older than 65 he cannot find work so easily in China and can only take whatever comes to him. He is working at a training center in a small city in China as well right now, just like you. But unlike you, he has a broader outlook due to having worked in several other countries prior and he can accurately compare whether working in China is really the ideal spot for him, and to him it isn't. He will compliment as well as criticize, and he doesn't romanticize China. I am glad to call him a friend and I have learned many things about life from him. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about you. This may be because your own opinions do not correlate with that of most other teachers, but you don't care enough about others and believe you have to be right.