Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mark Levine?
Mark Levine (马克·力文) is an American sociologist, country-folk musician, author, and professor at Minzu University of China (中央民族大学) in Beijing. He holds a PhD in sociology, left the United States for China in 2005, and in 2014 received the Chinese Government Friendship Award — China's highest honor for foreign experts.
How long has Mark Levine lived in China?
He arrived in China from the US in 2005, which makes it roughly two decades as of 2026. China's National Immigration Administration film about him describes 18 years in Beijing.
What award did Mark Levine receive in China?
In 2014 he received the Chinese Government Friendship Award (中国政府友谊奖), the highest honor China confers on foreign experts, nominated by his employer, Minzu University. In 2017, Xinhua reported that he also received Chinese permanent residence — the 'Chinese green card'.
Can a foreigner live in China permanently like Mark Levine?
Yes, but permanent residence is selective. Most long-term foreigners first hold a work permit and residence permit sponsored by an employer or university, then apply for permanent residence after years of continuous stay. Levine received his in 2017 after roughly a decade in China and the Friendship Award. See our China visa types guide for the current permit routes.
"Alone, Not Lonely. An American in China" — a short film by China's National Immigration Administration, watched via the China Daily official YouTube channel. Original: NIA Foreigners in China.
Who is Mark Levine?
Mark Levine (马克·力文, Mǎ Kè Lìwén) is an American sociologist, country-folk musician, author, and professor at Minzu University of China (中央民族大学) in Beijing. He holds a PhD in sociology, and in 2005 — at age 57 — he left the United States and moved to China, where he began a teaching career that continues today. Chinese state media profile him as three things at once: a scholar, a songwriter who performs original songs about his life in China, and one of the country’s most recognized foreign experts. In 2014 he received the Chinese Government Friendship Award, and in 2017 Xinhua reported that he was granted Chinese permanent residence. In December 2025, China’s National Immigration Administration made him the subject of “Alone, Not Lonely. An American in China”, a short film in its Foreigners in China series.
What is the “Alone, Not Lonely” film about?
The film was published on 2025-12-25 in the Foreigners in China section of the National Immigration Administration’s English site. Its official synopsis: for 18 years, Levine “has transformed his simple Beijing apartment into a ‘living museum’. Filled with memories from his two decades in China, it’s more than a home, it’s where his heart is at ease.”
That framing matters less for what it says about apartments and more for what it says about timelines: a foreigner arriving at 57 and building an internationally recognized life in China over two decades. Most coverage of moving to China focuses on the first 90 days — visas, SIM cards, apartment hunting. Levine’s story is the other end of the arc: what a settled, decades-long life in China can look like.
Why did Mark Levine receive the Friendship Award?
The Chinese Government Friendship Award (中国政府友谊奖) is the highest honor China confers on foreign experts — economists, scientists, engineers, and educators who have worked in the country. Levine received it in 2014, nominated by his employer, Minzu University. For context on what the award represents in a foreigner’s trajectory: it is typically given to long-serving experts, and it is frequently cited in permanent-residence approvals for foreigners.
How did he get permanent residence in China?
In 2017, Xinhua profiled Levine receiving China’s permanent residence card — the “Chinese green card”, one of the world’s more selective residence statuses. The practical route for most foreigners looks less dramatic: enter on a Z (work) visa, convert to a work permit and residence permit sponsored by your employer or university, renew it over years of continuous legal stay, and only then become a realistic permanent-residence candidate. Levine’s decade of university service plus a Friendship Award put him in the natural candidate pool.
If you’re mapping your own version of that path, start with the China visa types guide (2026), which breaks down the permit ladder from tourist visa to long-term residence.
What can newcomers take from Mark Levine’s story?
Three practical lessons, beyond the sentiment:
- Long stays run on permits, not luck. Twenty years in China is twenty consecutive years of correct paperwork — work permit renewals, residence permits, police registration on every move. Boring, decisive, non-negotiable.
- A second “thing you do” accelerates belonging. Levine’s music gave him a community and an identity beyond “foreign teacher”. Whatever yours is — a sport, a craft, a language exchange — it compounds.
- Test the country before committing decades. If you’re not ready for a 20-year story, China’s 240-hour visa-free transit lets you spend up to ten days in Beijing or other eligible cities without any visa at all — the same country, on a much shorter promise. Our first week in China checklist covers the arrival logistics.
Sources
- National Immigration Administration, “Alone, Not Lonely. An American in China” (film page, 2025-12-25): en.nia.gov.cn
- China Daily (official YouTube channel), film upload: youtube.com/watch?v=-H_qgEoSnqg
- Xinhua (2017), pic story on Levine receiving Chinese permanent residence: xinhuanet.com
- People’s Daily (2024), “American professor finds new home in China”: en.people.cn
- Yangcheng Evening News (2023-12-05), Friendship Award recipient profile (arrival year 2005, age 57): ysln.ycwb.com
More stories of foreigners living in China: Expat Stories hub.