The people making big money in China and Russia are the business men or entrepreneurs. Some have 2 or 3 "wives". It is widely discussed.

Teaching ESL in the schools is low low pay (except in the rich kid academies in rich neighbourhoods in Beijing and Shanghai.) If you go, consider it a charitable act on your part to the children and China's future and profit in other ways.....learn about the culture, history and language. Make sure you have travel health insurance and a good constitution. Same is true of many countries. If I were there on a tiny salary I would ask students to bring me fresh food to supplement my tiny income.
Remember you are not really needed. I mean it. China has access to English TV, video, computers, internet, film, CDs, tapes, books, magazines, radio, journals, and lots of qualified local language teachers. You are wanted for marketing the NATIVE SPEAKER thing and you provide that genuine experience, contact with a foreigner. Wants and needs are not the same.