Kenny from Maryland

But at least they need not to apply Chinese visa or renew it frequently if they have permanent resident permit.

PR is not a way to have a long L type one. In the case of expats married to Chinese nationals and working in China, it is a means of being classed as Chinese for most purposes and means that once PR is obtained, it is not necessary to apply for a work permit on an annual basis and it also means that the individual is not tied to the company which sponsors the current work permit. i.e., the individual may change employers just as a Chinese national can. It is very difficult for an expat to change employers when working legally on a work permit. Work permits, officially, are tranferable but only with the current work permit sponsors agreement and that is rarely given