It was then a full month before I received the invitation letter in Washington state before I could apply to go back to China.

And for those FT's without a permanent home in presumably the USA, as you mention Washington (the state), short of staying with family/friends or a hotel (which the chinese will not pay for!), that is a hell of a ballache for a chinese FT salary, unless it's over the 20.000 rmb mark. But then if the chinese are going to put you to all that trouble, why not go to South Korea, Taiwan or the KSA...all of which pay better? When the visas were easier I could understand it, but now, they are as strict as the KSA in terms of actually obtaining and renewing a working visa...yet the salaries remain static. Thanks for your post though, it's a shining example of what is wrong with that place at the moment.