do you have itinerary with hotel bookings? if so no letter needed. if not then you kinda need a sponsor/local chinese person to be responsible for you when here. dont think they really want backpackers here anymore. shame to say. maybe package tours but who wants to go on one of those. lots of other more welcoming places in asia.

say 12... common age for winkie cropping in islam too

points to note. chinese are bad tippers, generally, if they do tip well it can be conspicous, but even if not will be new rich middle class. until recent tipping in china was illegal and the tipping culture hasn't really developed yet. budget coach packages especially stingy. these are people looking to pay the least, and they in turn are being cheated sby the tour company at every corner, and you are the face of the company. as for discarding people, no surprises in china, unless you are family or you are of some other value, you are just a thing to be used. cold hard reality here.

there is a bigger issue, the society you were born into. easy as outsiders to judge others as primitive, savage, etc. hey it could be worse you could be an infidel. parental responsibility also includes yuor child being accepted in the society theyu were born into. many are circucised at a coming of age ceremony, everyone in the community would know if they didnt get done. in cultures with extended family vertically and horizontally have a wide network. how can i recommend a relative as a husband to my network if i know he is considered unclean, even if i dont have a problem with him not being done. even if he gets married his wife will know on the wedding night and the marriage would probably be annulled. so now the child is condemend to grow up under a cloud and not be able to participate in cultural and reeligious life of his family and community. this would be a lifetime of pain.

come on rainfly, even the government workers had to be forced to go to chenggong. no prizes for guessing who you work for as a cheerleader