I'm on work visa - I was told that if I'm quitting a job before the contract expires I should get my visa cancelled in order to get another one... I'm confused.

viajante, what is your goal? Do you want to stay in China? And, are you set on a work visa? If that is the case, then you will need a letter from the job you quit, saying that you are leaving before the end of contract amicably. Without this letter, you will probably not get another work visa immediately. I suggested student visa because it is easy to get, and if you actually go to class, it is great.

But if you do not want that, and if you did not finish your contract at your job, then it will be tough to get another work visa immediately.

Exactly. The main point is that you leave amicably and get a letter stating that.

I found a job in Europe and definitely not coming back to China for another year or two...

8000 RMB a year?

Thats bloody nothing. Thats what you spend on a good KTV night.

Put that sum in international comparsion and its like a joke.

Peter99, you spend 8,000 RMB in one night at a KTV? What the hell are you buying there?

Please don't turn this into another pointless conversation. I'll ask for release / recommendation letters but will probably leave the country without going to the PSB.

viajante, then I would not worry too much about it. Try to get the letter though.

you don't need a release letter. that's only when transferring a work visa from one job to another. you're leaving, so you'll need to re-apply for a new visa when you come back.

You're fine to leave the country, as long as you leave before your permit expires there are no problems. you dont need any paperwork, just pack up and go. Be sure to leave on good terms, there is a website where Chinese register foreign workers that break contracts, and it makes it a pain to get a new contract. (it registers full name, country, passport number, and other personals)