Thanks for the advice, well wishing, and stimulating ideas. I want my ducks in a row, as best they can be, so considerations of death and inheritance deserve attention. For instance, I plan to name my wife as account beneficiary so she can receive some money immediately rather than waiting months or years for my estate to wend through probate.

Where die? Undecided. A decade in China may help.

This talk of the inevitable reminded me of a scene in the Godard film "Breathless".

Femme: Quel est vôtre plus grand ambition dans la vie?

Homme: Devenir immortelle, et puis mourir.

I just got the Certificate of Marriageability for upcoming union with my beloved. As her hukou is in Kunming, we will have the marriage paperwork completed locally, then a ceremony for family and friends.

My questions concern practical matters AFTER the wedding, especially regarding visas, immigration and finances.

She (Chinese) has an established long-term career in Kunming, while I (USA) am retired. Last year she visited the USA with me to meet family, thanks to the new 10-year travel visa (grateful for it, as a couple of her colleagues were turned down). I am here on a study visa. Our plan is to live in Kunming for several years until she retires, then consider alternatives, whether to stay in Kunming, go elsewhere in China, or move permanently to USA.

I plan to continue studying Chinese at school in Kunming, so I am wondering what visa to go for. Spousal? Study? Work? Does one need multiple visas to cover all the bases? Well, I probably won't work, had enough of that already and not keen to teach English (exception: my future spouse).

I heard that a foreign marriage is not automatically recognized back home. How about that? Is there a "notarization" or other procedure we must follow?

Someone suggested getting her a TIN (tax identification number for non-citizen) right away, as would help with Internal Revenue Service and possible future immigration. Tax status of married filing separately would keep IRS from touching her wages. On the other hand, married filing jointly might be helpful when moving to USA and pursuing path to immigration, or so I hear. Not sure where to come down on this. Would really like to avoid the tax man, legally speaking.

After a little research it seems best if I do NOT open a Chinese bank account, and NOT obtain a Chinese credit card. But maybe there is a better way. As a single in China with its largely cash-based economy, I have managed to get by reasonably well with USA-based accounts and cards. Would like to avoid the onerous reporting requirements when a US citizen opens a foreign bank account. My future spouse and I plan to share certain expenses, and I foresee using cash to provide my share. Some of this may be done as "gift to spouse", but I hear there are annual limitations and possible future liabilities regarding a non-citizen spouse. And then there are complicating matters like beneficiaries, title to property, and inheritance. Why do I get the impression USA/IRS/Immigration doesn't want me to marry a non-citizen?

As someone wrote on a different thread, "Better have a WHOLE lotta love".

Anyone have experience getting "expert" help with these matters? How to find?

My Chinese friend has never had a tetanus shot, so I recommended one for travel outside China. Friend consulted Kunming doc, doc said you can't get one in Yunnan, maybe Shanghai or Beijing. Does that sound right?

From that USA Discover Card page:

Cash Over transactions are limited to $120 every 24 hours with no monthly limit. Most stores have a cash over limit. Please check with your local store.

The term to use for this situation is "cash over", not cash back which refers to the rewards program for credit cards. In the USA there are about 70 chains and stores that allow cash over with a Discover card, see this link:

www.discover.com/[...]

I will get a Chinese friend to accompany me to Carrefour and Walmart and see what happens when I ask for cash over.