My observation is that a decent Foshan (Guangdong）Chinese farmer's girl may be as good as a well educated Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada) pumpkin.

My former FT colleague was from Thunder Bay. Please divulge the commonly-held view among Canadians about Thunder Bay residents. You see,I'm not Canadian.

By the way, i've seen some fine looking although uneducated women in Chinese cities that've moved in from countryside. Some live in nice homes and feed up to three or even four kids of their own and some are waiting for such "opportunities" as well. Be aware!

I wouldn't disagree with your warning. But I'd also warn foreign men to be wary of Chinese women who believe the West to be superior in many ways to China, and desire their offspring, from a previous marriage and/or from your marriage, to study abroad at your considerable expense! At least a Chinese woman from a poor background may have ambitions for herself and her children that are esaily affordable by you.

My wife's well educated with no savings and an ill mother to look after. Her job offers have been far from decent and so she's a house wife.

Everything is relative. Many Chinese consider a salary of 2000 RMB a month to be a good one. But of course, that is in stark contrast to what FT's in China would consider a good salary, ie 6000 RMB a month in the less well-developed cities and towns, of which there are many!

Hard to imagine i am refused the right to work or get booted out of this country.

Come on now! Even if you've worked for 5 years in China, and therefore are ineligible for RP's sponsored by your employer where you are, you can look further afield to obtain a teaching job in another province whose education bureau doesn't care about breaking regulations like that. As for getting booted out, I think that would only happen if you and your wife are penniless, and you've nowhere to live; you can always get long L visas on the basis of your marriage certificate, so long as you can prove you've somewhere to stay! But I agree with you that we foreigners with Chinese spouses have minimal rights here, a bum deal really!

Cheers and beers to the current red party meeting in Beijing that's hopefully got these kinda cases on their agenda

I think you've posted this tongue-in -cheek. Cheers and beers to those of us who've been here long enough to know how to manipulate the rules and regulations to our advantage while practising our failing English on China's Enlish learners!