Originally Posted by
jiejie
You can try, but don't be surprised if you get a No without a conversion strip. Bring your passport along. If what Tauphi is saying is true, try a couple of other banks also to see if you get some joy. Unlike Tauphi, I've never seen this work in real life, at least not in Beijing, without the conversion slip. Even for under $500. My last data points on this are at least 2-3 years' old, though.
The USD $50,000-to RMB conversion limit has been around for at least 4-5 years and is not tied to the Expo. The rule for individuals is $10,000 maximum can be converted in any given month, $50,000 limit per year. Without paperwork, just your passport. USD $50,000 can be done all or part in other foreign currencies, in equivalent value. Over that limit requires quite a bit more paperwork.
To avoid banks that don't know what they're doing, I suggest that you do this at the Bank of China. The only problems I've had there over the last three years have been with trainee tellers, but as long as you stick to your guns, their supervisors will set them straight.
As for the $500 per day amount, you can refer to the SAFE website:
http://fj.safe.gov.cn/110000/110000e0263021.html
So the next time some bank turns you down for doing an exchange from RMB worth US$500 or less, point them to the SAFE website.
While I was browsing the SAFE website, I noticed that they've extended the $50000 exchange period through to the end of December due to the Asian games. So if you have a large wad of RMB that you're trying to get rid of, now is the time to head to your nearest BoC branch.