Monique, I am in a situation similar to yours. At the time of exiting from China I asked an immigration official (at the Guangzhou airport counter) if I could use my Rsidence Prmit to reenter China and he said an uequivocal 'YES'.

I have also asked the FAO's at some of the universities where I am negotiating a job for the next term if my Residence Permit allows me to enter China again since it is valid upto mid-Oct. and they have all said 'YES'.

However, I have no experience of this yet and to that extent I will not confirm or contest the validity of their assertions.

Good luck and cheers!