Residence permits: They're about to get easier

Taiwan resident Chen Yi-ting, who has been living in Fuzhou, Fujian province, for 21 years, is looking forward to Sept 1, when he will apply for his mainland residence permit.

Starting on Saturday, residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived on the Chinese mainland for longer than six months can apply for a new mainland residence permit, under a guideline issued by the State Council on Aug 16.

Some 1,210 police stations in Fujian will deal with the applications, said Du Qingsen, deputy head of the Fujian Public Security Department.