Hi Foxy,
One of my good friends has been teaching with L visas in Hubei. She has no university degree, so she can't obtain a Z visa. But after returning to Thunder Bay for a vacation, she was refused a new L visa for China. It would appear that the Chinese visa office wouldn't renew her visa because her string of Ls had cast doubt on the truth of her stated reasons for visiting China once again.

However, I guess you've got your foot in the door by being on Chinese territory as well as having a Chinese wife there to bat for you should the local PSB dare to refrain from renewing your L visas.

Blimey, your friend must have been gutted; I suppose she should lose her passport now and start afresh, before reapplying for another visa.

It seems your friend was unlucky while working in China too; normally your Chinese L Visa-employer will offer you one of their courtesy degrees, so they can get you on an F visa, which if they have an ounce of sway with the authorities they can renew for you without the need for you to leave the country. I don't think strictly speaking they need to produce a degree for you for 'f'(might have changed, yesterday) but you could also get a 'Z' which you would need a courtesy degree to get. Tell your friend to head for Shanxi Province next time, where they[employers] churn out courtesy degrees like sausages(sadly you can't usually choose the university.) cheers°rees.