The college FAO in my first job tried to force me to take a Chinese medical some four weeks after my arrival, and after I had taught without a Residence Permit for three weeks, at which time they offered me a teaching contract. Of course, I had no idea of this illegal and wily procedure when I applied for my Z visa for China back in the UK before coming to China.

For example:
In the UK, you'd be initially offered a contract for a job with a big company that would include a clause about the offer being subject to you subsequently passing a medical exam. There would also be a stipulated probationery period. If you were a foreigner, eg a Japanese, you'd never be allowed to start work until you had your green card. As for your mandatory medical insurance, that would be deducted from your salary as your contribution, and your employer would also have to pay his share.

By contrast, the way things are arranged in respect of the above in China is an utter shambles. Furthermore, your employment rights are compromised on account of the employer having extra rights. This double-medical nonsense is a good example of beaurocracy gone mad. You can counter that only if the employer was careless enough to let you sign the contract he offered you before he tried to make you tske another medical locally. In fact, there is no specific clause in the contract re medical exams and none of us should be teaching before we have our Resident's Card. That's illegal! Many Chinese employers expect us to teach during the first 30 days of our Z visa, during which time they will decide whether or not to employ us. This is ridiculous and we should have been made fully aware of that before we had flown to China! Also, given that the SAFEA contract allows your employer to dismiss you at any time during the run of the contract after a dismissal procedure has been instigated negates the need for a probationary period in my view. Some Chinese employers have tampered with the SAFEA contract by adding this to the appendix thereof. That is not good!