Beware of What?
I have to say that I get a little irritated about some of the posts I see about Shenzhen Airlines. If you look at the various forums on PPRUNE, you can find this kind of stuff about every airline in the world. "Someone I know failed a checkride. He got screwed because he is a foreigner," or "the contract isn't worth anything," or "I had to go to a meeting on my day off." I you listen to all of these dire warnings, you could never take a job anywhere in the world.
I have to say that in my time at Shenzhen Airlines, I have not seen "a high rate of good pilots who fail check rides." There have been a few, but definitely not a large number (and they give you a 2nd chance). I can also say that I have been assigned some long duty days, but it doesnt happen often and I can guarantee you that they don't violate CAAC regulations. Do they tread in the gray area? Sometimes...but lots of the things you find in these posts are half truths or exaggerations. If you have done contract work anywhere in the world you know that it isnt going to be like working 8 days a month at American Airlines.
One thing I will agree with is that Shenzhen (and other airlines in China) are very sensitive to hard landings. There was an A320 crash here about 8 years ago (not Shenzhen Airlines) that involved a hard landing so the CAAC has required all of the airlines to focus on it (probably a little too much).
This is the bottom line for me: It is a good, high paying job. I can be home most nights with my family. I let the small things go and try not to have any hard landings. I try to be respectful and understand that this isn't Kansas. I am here because there aren't a lot of jobs out there. China is a place where penalizing people for infractions is a cultural thing. It isnt just pilots...even the office staff get dinged if they make a mistake. I just do my job and everything goes pretty smooth.
Coming here for me has been OK so far!