I'm very excited to go, but...

[mr tin]

Hello!I'm very excited, I'm moving to Kunming in less thanks two weeks to study Mandarin for a year at Yunnan Normal University! I've already studied a year in Wuhan so I'm not completely unprepared or too nervous. I do have a few questions if someone could help, both in general and about Kunming. I already have my X visa (it took only an hour, dropped it off with no queue, came back in 50 mins and picked it up with no queue).I have a bank account (Bank of China) in Wuhan but i lost my ATM card while I was traveling and was told I could get money out using my yellow passbook anywhere but couldn't do anything else. So when I'm in Kunming, using that account, I may not be able to change foreign money which is wired to my account? So I want to open another account in Kunming, I know this is quite easy but can I do it before i get my residence permit? I plan to get there a week or so before school starts.I want to rent an apartment when i get there, again, can I do this without a residence permit?Finally, about the apartment. I want somewhere very close to YNNU, a few minutes walk, one+ bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room, furnished to a reasonably high quality (TV/DVD, kitchen stuff, bed, etc). I'm thinking for this about 1500RMB a month, does this sound about right? I was planning on staying in a cheap hotel/hostel and go around the local estate agencies and hoping from arriving to Kunming and moving into a nice(ish) apartment will take a week or less. I expect to pay 6months rent up front, is that right? How do i pay the estate agents fees, what is a reasonable amount?Thanks you all, and maybe see in China!