Chinese Visa Medical Test
Almost anyone who plans on spending a length of time in China to study, work, or reside, will need to get a special visa. A small few countries have special visa deals with China, because their governments probably hook China up with natural resources, or government officials with “things”. For the vast majority of people coming to China, this isn’t the case, and getting the specific visa requires a jumping through more hoops than a circus clown.
One of the first and most important things you will need to do, is get your residence permit, after you get this and want to apply for a long term visa (residence, work ( Z ) and study ( X ) 6 months or more), go get a medical test. While I can understand the very simple minded logic behind this rule, it really serves no purpose. People who come to China on short term visas don’t have to get them done, with the exception of a brief questionnaire on entry, which anyone with half a brain can lie on. Assuming you were sick with something contagious and you wanted to go to China, there would be nothing stopping you. The irony is that the people who do take the tests, are at a much higher risk of getting hit by a bus/birdflu/being forced to drink the awful beer, than Chinese being at risk from them. Despite this, rules are rules and today was examination day.
I arrived at the testing complex around 10am, and wandered around trying to find which building and which reception office to go to, after a little while I found it on the second floor of a main building. They quickly rush you through some paperwork, and then point you towards the gauntlet. I should note to anyone that is going to the exam for the first time, remember to bring a copy of your passport and a passport photo, or else you will have to go down the street like I did and get it done, which cost me about 25Y which I know isn’t much, but very inconvenient and pushes you back in the overall queue. At this medical clinic, they only doing testing for foreigners for the visa, because of this, they run a very tight ship, which puts you through five different tests in about an hour.
The first test I had was the blood pressure/heartbeat thing. Very simple, the doctor/nurse/random joe checked my pulse and then proceeded to quickly scribble down some numbers and sign a bunch of parts on the paper work they have you carry around. The next test, is some type of cardiological thing, where you lie on a table with your shirt off and they stick suction cups on your boobs while a machine makes a printout that looks like an polygraph. The following test is similar, only I believe it was an ultrasound. You lie on another table and take off your shirt, the guy rubs you up with some goo and then really grinds this plastic appendage all over your torso. It was hard not to laugh, especially because while the guy was doing this to me he was in a loud conversation with his significant other on the cell phone. After that, came the blood test. You stick your arm through a window, just like a drive through, and they take out a generous portion of blood. As a bonus I got to find out my blood type is O. They do take a damn lot of blood though, and I was feeling pretty dizzy. I somehow managed to make it to the next test where they did some kind of nuclear/x-ray type analysis with a giant machine, while i was crushed against part of it in a compromising position watching the person in the control room smile and give me the thumbs up.
There were dozens of other people going through these tests at the same time as me so it was either a highly efficient or really sloppy operation they have going on. You decide.
The costs of all the tests was 313 yuan plus 10Y for the shipping deal, because they ship the results right to the school in three days instead of me picking it up. Thats a pretty good deal considering it cost me 40Y taxi to get there and back. So I wound up paying about 388Y for the whole shebang. I’m of no authority to say whether the tests, procedures and equipment will even produce any worthwhile results (I’m not holding my breath), but if it lets me stay in the country without having to make a trip to Hong Kong every two months then I’m all for it. Plus I got to play hooky because they only do the exam in the morning…nice!
Filed under: quick guides
Quite frankly, this stupid examination has been for me, harrassment of the most blatant kind. The first year I did it, I too felt it was no big deal; until they had me thinking that there was a problem with my liver….two days of panicky thoughts for myself and my husband, and then they asked me back to take even more of my blood, and the next day the result came back negative(of course!! I had a GENUINE blood test done before I ever got to China-nothing wrong with me). Ok, fine, you expect some incompetence in 3rd world countries the first time around; then last year, when the year was up and once again I had to go through this charade again(I am a resident here due to my husband being here opening our offices in the textile markets of Shaoxing, Zhejiang province)I took my blood test, etc….and it has now been 5 months since I took it, and ZERO RESULTS…which has caused us major problems with the visa, all due to their own prevaricating incompetence. A friend of mine even suggested I report this to my own embassy(Unites States) as harrassment, since these idiots never seem able to give a proper reason for WHY they are screwing around with my results. Their first reason: “Oh they wanna check your blood more so they will send it to the offices in Beijing”; Check it for what?? They wouldnt say. So we wait, and wait; 2 months go by, and meanwhile I am having to go to the police station every month almost and check in and get a stamp on my visa like an extension of my visa(another long hassle, believe me, also costing us), then they tell us(or rather our lawyer)that now they are sending for A SPECIAL MACHINE just to examine MY blood….wowwww. I think they lost it, the stupid braindead incompetents, either that, or they are trying to do something with it, God knows what, or why! My husband thinks it is because I am AB negative(blood type); but come on…how ignorant would that be? How can a so-called medical staff not know ALL the blood types, even if it is not really a part of their own demographic? The truth is, THERE IS NO EXCUSE. My mom worked in a pathology lab and believe me, NO bloodwork takes 5 months no matter how complicated! Besides I just went on holiday and did a blood test over there, where people actually know what they are doing, and guess what — nothing. Zip. I am fine, naturally. So, I came back to this place, and due to my never having recieved the blood result last time, the bloody police dept. hack didnt give me the proper entry visa, which the lawyer didnt inform us , so in the airport I am told I have to go back, period. So I had to rush to Hong Kong, my children in tears and my hubby worried, get the visa there, which took 2 days and more money, of course…. and still, again had to do ALL this ridiculous “testing”(Hah!), last week…and the last test result never has come back. UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE. I thought Panama was sometimes inefficient; they are brain surgeons over there compared to the level of stupidity I have seen here in China. Needless to say, this experience combined with all their disgusting and gross mannerisms(hawking and spitting, shouting, rudeness,dirtiness)I am not favourably impressed by the Chinese as a whole. A few of them have been friendly well-manered and helpful; sadly, this harrassment has only been one instnce of many similar ones experienced not only by myself, but by my husband, and yes even my children. So, overall, it pains me to say that this is definitely not a country worthy of my time, and I plan on never returning once I am rid of it, hopefully in a few months. The sad thing is, we came here with such high hopes, and many of our friends here, expats all, have had similar disheartening trials, and strangely enough, all are actually investing here, which shows you the low mentality of the Chinese govt. If this keeps on for much longer, as several of our COMPANY OWNING(as we are) acquaintances told us, many foreigners will feel discouraged to keep on investing….some things have to change, and soon.
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I just finished reading that last epic comment. I am now asking myself, “Can the future of China be dictated by medical testing procedures and acceptable public mannerisms?”
I understand that the author was frustrated, but no country is free of maddening “process and procedure”.
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james , on December 29th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
You couldn’t be more spot on. For example, look at what the TSA is doing to air travel to the USA right now.
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