And I WILL add that a little more than two decades ago, the monthly salary of a college/university foreign teacher in Shanxi was approx 1,200 RMB, at a time when SAFEA contracts for Shanxi Province fixed the travel allowance at 1,100 RMB/semester. Of course, in those days the cost of living was way lower than it is now.
That's why present day FTs' salaries are around 6,500 RMB/month at state colleges/universities. Why hasn't the travel allowance been increased accordingly? It should be around 6,000 RMB a semester. What's SAFEA playing at? Or do they think we're all too dumb to pick up on this? Maybe they're dumb enough themselves to think so!