Some people think it is OK to arrive in China with an L ( tourist visa ), and teach until it is replaced by a Z(work visa ), that being eventually accompanied by an RP ( Residence Permit )

Here is the truth: It is illegal to arrive in China on a tourist visa, and then start working.: a person caught teaching with a tourist visa on his/her first day of teaching is guilty of an offence, just as someone caught when he has been doing so for ten years! Chinese immigration won't exonerate illegality!

If caught working with an L visa you will be fined, prosecuted, even if that L visa was going to be replaced by a Z(work visa), before it's one month validity had expired. Incedentally, you have a greater chance of being caught working with an L visa for a private training centre than for a university. This is just what I have learned from personal experience.

That said, many universities will not employ FT's with an L visa. Anyway, working with an L is illegal, no iffs, no buts!