Of your destinations, Tiger Leaping Gorge can be challenging if there happens to be heavy rain. Will you trek it on foot?

Yuanyang is out of season, so there may not be that many tourists there.

But all those other places will be crowded with Chinese tourists, since it is holiday season in schools. So in worst case scenario that something bad happens, at least you won't be alone. I understand that you can speak Chinese, so you should be fine.

If you stick to the common tourist attractions, you should be safe.

But if you stay with local families in rural housing on a mountainside, or take car/bus rides in those places, it's another story. Really depends on the specific location.

In cities like Kunming it can occasionally flood some in summer, but it has mostly to do with urban development and water having no place to go. It rarely lasts long though.

If you have a complete itinerary, people here can give better advice.

Also weather forecasts are your friend. Get online frequently to check.

So if you want to give warning to other people, you should start by warning against illegal employment in general rather than warning against specific (yet unnamed) illegal employer.

I understand, but the topic of the thread and even the content of your original post ("if you want it as a summer job, it should be fine") heavily relies and supports the idea that working on tourist visa is kind of OK.

Which it isn't, and it especially hurts those who want to live or work in China legally like I trust most regulars in this site do.

There are reasons why the regulations have become tougher in recent years, but nobody of course wants to be part of that reason personally.

I come from European country where tipping is not expected, and as was already pointed, in China it was illegal until recently.

Recently in a restaurant a waiter approached us after the meal, and asked if we could evaluate her by some sort of WeChat app and give a tip with the app as well.

My Chinese wife was quite confused of the situation, and it was obvious we would not voluntarily visit that restaurant again.

Personally I feel that unless the service is _exceptionally_ good (like returning a forgotten phone or purse), or the specific country has a culture where waiters get big part of their income through through tips, I never tip.