Though it's been a number of years, I brought my stuff in on an F visa rather than residence permit (don't ask, long story), and it was a pain in the @ss. The stuff got held up in the Chinese Customs warehouse while they wanted more paperwork and rationalizations why I was bringing all this stuff in on an F visa---and it was only 9 boxes! Got it bailed out, but it took about 2-3 weeks during which time daily ransom...er, warehouse...charges were accruing. Really try to hold off on having the big shipment arrive until your Residence Permits are in hand. Load yourselves up to the max when coming back in January, and maybe see what an extra piece or two will cost in excess baggage charges.