Changing Accommodation Plans; ok or not?

[Thomas_q]

I am planning to visit China soon, but I have had an idea, and I want to know it if is in accordance with Chinese laws and visa regulations.  I am very keen to follow the rules, so I am just asking if anyone knows it the following would be ok or not.

 

I got a tourist visa on the understanding that I would be staying at a certain hostel the whole time (i.e. I sent the booking receipt along with my visa application).  However, it now turns out that I can stay with a certain friend in the same city.  But I need to check if this is ok. I was wondering if the following plan would be alright:

1.  Before going to China, change the hostel booking to the first two nights instead of the whole time.

2.  Within 24 hours of arriving in China, visit the Public Security Burea and tell them my change of plan; i.e. that I am only staying at the hostel for two nights, then staying with my friend

3.  Check out of the hostel the night after visiting the Public Security Bureau, and stay with my friend as planned.  

 

Do you think this is ok, in terms of visa regulations, or am I committed to staying the whole time at the hostel I originally mentioned?  Please tell me what you know, and if you could cite a good link or something, that would be even better.  I can't find any information about this on the internet, and I am very concerned to avoid doing anything that might breach the rules.  If what I have suggested is not in keeping with the rules, I will just stay the whole time at the hostel, as planned.  It's just a matter of determining what is permisslble, and following it.  

[imron]

You will probably confuse the PSB more than anything else - they will know nothing of your plans.  The hotels listed on your visa application seem to be a formality rather than anything else, and no double checking is done.  I've no links to any specific rules, but I have personal experience doing basically the same thing you've done.

 

So, my advice would be check out of your hotel when you want, then within 24 hours of moving to your friends place visit the PSB and tell them you are staying there.

 

Alternatively, if you want to clear it with the police before checking out of your hotel (your friend will probably need to go along and show their id, rental contract etc, and it's possible the PSB could deny your request for whatever reason), go to the PSB the day before you checkout and tell them you're about to move in and how long you'll be staying.

 

I wouldn't mention anything about hotels you applied for on your visa.  They will neither know nor care.

[Yorin]

This is not exactly what you're planning to do, but maybe still helpful:

 

When going to China, I've more than once first booked a hotel for the whole duration, so that I could provide

a booking confirmation for my visa, then later canceled part of the hotel booking and stayed in other hotels. It's unavoidable if you go on a trip through China with some Chinese friends and don't have the slightest idea about where you'll be sleeping in advance. I've never encountered any problems doing this, I assume the other hotels I stayed in registered me with the authorities as they're supposed to do.

[Ruben von Zwack]

I second imron and yorin. I booked a hostel for my whole stay, and then checked out and in just as I pleased. Some nights I wasn't checked in anywhere, cause I was on a train. And I met a few tourists who couch surfed, they didn't seem to do any registering at all for one night.

Look at the cancellation policy of your hostel, maybe you can just leave everything as it is and cancel in person when you're there.