Hiya L.P..
No it wasn't directed at you, as a matter of fact I wasn't aware that you were working with IAC in a contractor role.
I do realise that you are in a different part of China to
Hesgotan Urge, employed under a different contract, and working with different people.
From time to time (not only on this forum), posts appear that are just too glowing (and often indicating that there are upgrade prospects) when compared with posts of others who are
in situ. Offering the sort of stuff that will suck pilots in, eg. quick upgrade to the lhs for F/O's, upgrades to bigger, newer, equipment (beautiful, desperate F/A's
just dying to meet suave, debonair, foreign pilots.)
My reason for citing some of the examples I did (eg. the food) was to make some people aware of the
BIG change in living conditions they face, if they have never lived in Asia. The young guys with stars in their eyes, who believe the world revolves around an aeroplane.
For both you,
L.P., and
Urge, this was not the case, you had both already experienced life out of the western mainstream for a considerable period, prior to Hainan and Shenzen, whereas mine was a gentle transition, as Singapore was my first experience at life as an expat.
It is one thing to travel to a country and stay in a (western style) Hotel, but quite a different kettle of fish when one moves into an apartment or house.
As for those pilots working in Brazil or Eastern Europe (who earn considerably more than $1,000 they tell me), the difference there is the cultures are similar, making the adjustment much easier.
Even in this part of Asia, which is very "user-friendly" for expats, there are still people who are unable to adjust. I believe that mainland China would be considerably more difficult than most places, and if there's not enough $$$'s going into savings each month to compensate, then life is going to be extremely miserable, imo.