Shanghai has granted around 500 permanent resident cards to foreigners in the two months following the country's April adoption of a streamlined application procedure. That's nearly 30 percent of the country's total, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said on Tuesday.

Getting China's "green card" is considered one of the most difficult tasks in the world. But the country has eased the process by streamlining procedures and lowering the threshold for applicants. According to the Ministry of Public Security, in 2016 alone 1,576 foreigners became permanent residents in China, up 163 percent year-on-year.

The permanent resident permit issued to the foreigners by China, or the Chinese "green card", was first introduced in 2004. The number of Chinese "green card" holders had passed the 10,000 mark by 2016.

Here are some renowned expats who received the Chinese "green card".Joan Hinton was the first foreigner to receive the permanent resident permit, in 2004. She was a nuclear physicist and one of the few women scientists who worked for the Manhattan Project. Moving to China in 1948, she had dedicated herself to the improvement of agricultural machinery and diary industry and lived in China for over 50 years.

Robert A. Mundell, a Nobel economics prize laureate and the "Father of Euro", received his Chinese "green card" in Beijing on March 16, 2005. Having worked in China for decades, he has contributed to academic exchange in economics, offered advice to governments, and been one of the founders and the honorary president of a university for entrepreneurs named after by him.

Kurt Wuethrich from Switzerland received the permanent residence card in Shanghai on April 2, 2018. He won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2002 and is a chaired professor at Shanghai Tech University.

Feringa Bernard Lucas, the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in chemistry, obtained his Chinese "green card" in Shanghai on May 2, 2018. He has also served as a visiting professor at East China University of Science and Technology.

Stephon Marbury is the first foreign basketball player ever to receive Chinese "green card", on April 18, 2016. The former NBA All-Star played in China since 2010 and led the Beijing Ducks to three CBA (China Basketball Association) titles between 2012 and 2015. Having retired in Feb, 2018, he has committed himself to promoting basketball and developing young players in China.

How to apply for a Chinese "green card"

In order to qualify for "green card", you should meet at least one of the following requirements:

-- Direct investment in China with good rate paying record. Stable business.

-- Be a high-level talent.

-- Work in key industries or fields that receive State support.

-- Make great contribution to China, or posses skill specially needed by China.

-- Have come to China to be with your family, such as spouse, or a dependent minor or senior citizen.