I think it depends on what you want.  Slow growth is seen as a bad thing in China while anything other than negative growth is seen as a good thing in western countries.

I have seen a definite slow down here over the past few years.  But I don't think it's because the economy is failing.  What I see now is boarded up shops whereas before they would have a new tenant every 4 months or so.  Maybe people are just getting smarter that they know there are no instant riches to be had, the boom town look reduces.

Deep down, the economy is working.  Apple posted world record profits recently, but their operating costs are here.  The key to a healthy economy is manufacturing. That is here.

Your thing with the potato is a very good indicator of the local folks.. I think so anyways....  1 RMB to 4 RMB is just the kind of thing the people cannot live with. It is real and it just can not continue. I don't care what the government says, the potato is a real thing for an average person.

I do not daily buy stuff, (groceries, fruits, vegies) but I I do hear from the wife about "expensive" from time to time. more than she knows or is used to..    not 4 X obviously but it is a definite thing to watch.......  angry street vendors  could be an awesome party.

no doubt good times over and the gravy train slowing down .. reality sets in.

As our favorite gal, BHGal says, the potato is an indication. At my first visit to China, people where frantic, everyone recommended that I'd buy as much property as I could (I did consider swinging the Mastercard at the time as it sure was affordable) People where blinded by easy profits on turning cheap housing, but they were not are still are not educated on the consequences of inflating an economy. If property goes up, so does everything else (except migrant workers salaries) 

The system i snot healthy. Stories like this

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-millions-of-government-workers-t...

is insane. I am not saying the civil servants should not have their pay adjusted to match development. But doing it in this huge steps reeks of piss poor planning from the central government. 

Its all smoke and mirrors....the neo-lib dream has run its course. They have run out of greater fools....its not whether your economy is a ponzi scheme, the whole world is a ponzi scheme!

In the words of Private Fraser....."We're doomed"

See the good side, if there are fewer teachers and schools are desperate you can ask for more money, if they don't want there is another school next block who is also desperate. The demand exceeds by far the supply and the gap is growing, use this at your advantage to milk more money out of them. 300, 400, 500 RMB per class? They don't have much choice anyway, parents probably send their kids there for the foreign teacher, if there is no foreign teacher then most of them will probably pull their kids out and the center/private school will run out of business.

Seems to me that no one's salary has increased much, if at all, these past 6 or 8 years.

Yes, even the Chinese are starting to watch their expenses more closely and most of the big money people have already moved abroad. 2015 is the year the China's real estate bubble will burst and unfortunately America's money bubble will also fail this year as well. It will be scary for sure.