Also you can look at the average income in Tier 2,3,4 cities in China adjusted to inflation, as well as deterioration in food quality. You don't need a middle age taxi driver from Hubei working in Hangzhou to tell you that.
Also maybe look at the pollution levels in most rural areas too?
Middle and Lower Income [1] classes (>90% of the population) in China tend to work really hard for little returns (so long as they're convinced they are gaining lots, which is why hyped-up nationalism and state-sponsored dezinformatsiya are rampent).
This is not healthy.
[1]: Quote from Li Keqiang, "600 million people earning a medium or low income, or even less. Their monthly income is barely 1,000 RMB yuan." http://english.www.gov.cn/premier/news/202005/29/content_WS5...