I'm a US citizen living and working in China. I have both a work permit ("green book") and a residency permit (it goes in your passport and also functions as your visa). For foreigners working in China, these are applied for, approved and issued simultaneously, but they are separate documents.
If I cease being employed, I have ten days to begin work and file employment papers at a new job. If I exceed this window, I must exit China and begin the work permit process from scratch if I want to start working in China again.
What happens to my residency permit if I stop working? The work permit enables one to obtain a residence permit, but it's possible to receive one through other means. Does the residence permit remain valid through its expiry date even if the work permit expires? I haven't found anything to indicate otherwise, and it "makes sense", but obviously that's no evidence that this is the case.
A simple example: January first, I begin work in China and receive my work and residence permits. They are valid for one year. July first, I stop working. I want to remain living in China through December and my residence permit expires December 31.
Of course, if my work permit expires I will have trouble renewing the residence permit, but that's not the issue here. Please cite sources in your answer.