It would not surprise me if it were true. I spent 6 months in China, a lot of it solo. I flew on a plane with chickens in the overhead and a goat tied to a hitching post in the rear holding area were we boarded from (we boarded up a ramp from the back of the plane - it was some Russain model). This was a 6 hour flight from Beijing to Urumqui with no first class and seats designed for tiny Chinese butts. There were no seat assignments - you just fought your way to whatever seat you wanted.
They also ran a modem cable in through a building window. During monsoon season! Water ended up pouring in through the window, and the main power feeds for the systems we were building were laid out on the floor.
Good times...
