Re stillkickin's response ...
Sorry, stillkickin, but I'm not 'imagining' anything.
After having been in China 12 years, I'm well aware of how
the system operates. I know all about guanxi, degrees,
and the rest of it.

Perhaps you could provide some names of people
(65, or over) who have been issued a Z visa for
the upcoming year. (I'm not talking about an F visa;
I'm talking about a Z visa).

I look forward to your response. :-)