Xiao Mei, a kindergarten teaching assistant living in the suburbs of Hangzhou in eastern China, has barely seen her income rise for three years and is not optimistic about her chances of getting a pay rise any time soon. Still, she counts herself as relatively fortunate.“At least I haven’t had my pay cut or lost my job,” she said, adding that several of her friends had suffered such setbacks recently.Earning around 6,000 yuan (US$845) a month – well below the local average of 13,500 yuan for...