F visa and residency permit

I was issued a 180day f visa in the uk for my studies in china, I now have to complete the second half of my course which is an upaid internship in china to practice my language skills. I have a letter from both my school in the uk stating this is part of my course and a letter from the company stating the internship and its use. Can I apply for this residency permit now, as my visa expires on the 31st of January and my internship starts in febuary.

Basically can I change my f visa into a residency permit, I registered my location with in 30 days but have been using the f visa until now.