Staff at at least 17 Wal-Mart stores in the country have formed unions since July, according to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

BBC: Wal-Mart perform a warm-up dance at a store in Shanghai

One institution that is in place to help smooth labor disputes is the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (AFTU), an officially sanctioned labor union.

CNN: China grapples with growing labor discontent

According to a national poll jointly conducted by a branch of the official All-China Women's Federation and a match-making website, 70 percent of women surveyed say they would only marry men who own a house.

CNN: Feeling blue within China's red-hot economy