Thanks for the update. I think the only kind of passport available at the Beijing visa office of the UK is the temporary(emergency) one-year passport, which is non-bionic, and therefore a lot cheaper and can be issued in a few days. I got one issued in Ulanbator some years ago. I can recall being asked by the Chinese PSB visa clerkess what 'FCO' stands for, of course I told her, 'for crown office', which she couldn't make anything of either! Previously, the place of issuance appeared, eg Ulanbator, but now it's 'FCO'.