If you have a photocopy of your passport you can usually buy train tickets with that, but I don't know how getting a hotel room would go.<

I don't think your drivers license would be any help to you.

With the recent incidents at train stations I would say you will need your passport.

I'm in Beijing. Every time I've ever taken a train I've had to show my passport and they've compared the number on my ticket with the number on my passport. I don't think playing the foreigner card will work now... And when you buy it you need to give some kind of ID number so ya, not looking so good for me.

(a) I've bought train tickets with a paper copy of my passport before.  Never had the ticket verified against my passport at the station.  As seen above, this can vary depending on which train station (I've only had experience with Shanghai and Zhejiang stations).  Getting a hotel could be tricky without a passport, I've never actually done this.  Make sure you at least also copied the page from your passport that contains the most recent entry stamp into China.

(b) Your driver's license from your home country is good for only one thing: when applying for a Chinese driver's license.  Otherwise, it's useless here.

Last train ticket I used, the wife booked online, using my passport number. I couldn't even pick it up at the nearest ticketing place, but had to go to the "big" station for getting my ticket and showing my passport. Never tried using a paper copy for anything though. 

The problem with not having your passport when traveling is that what if you get arrested or stopped wrongfully by the police. In you own hood, not having the passport is the better idea as you can then ask to go home to collect it and the backup hong bao you have stashed. Out of town, not an option. 

Matters how much of a gamblin' man you are.  Regulations are so hit-and-miss, and I'd say, vary from train station to train station.  If it's a cheap ticket, go for it. 

Read the post of a guy about Saturday night and you ll get the answer. According to the post foreigners cannot get the ticket online rather has to go to the station or ticketing agency to receive the ticket. So my guess is, you may not be able to get through without a passport. 

I assumed that given the recent events it would be hard for me to travel by train without my passport but just last weekend I traveled from Shenyang to Panjin and back again by train and wasn't asked for my passport at any stage of the process.  That said, if you're traveling to or from a tier one city, I wouldn't even think about it!

I assume you are extending your RP? Why else would be without your passport? That being the case, PSB should be able to give you a receipt for your passport. I used that to buy air tickets and had no issues with it. I guess it must be ok for trains too.

Coach is OK.

Regular train is lottery. Haven't been there recently but I guess random checks are part of the landscape now.

High speed/plane indeed no way.

Hotel without a passport. Well, some... let's say lesser places even in 1st tier cities can close their eyes but you'll have to be convincing (= mandatory mandarin).

The farther away from cities, the better the quality/chances ratio.

I suspect your passport is in the hands of a courier, probably on it's way to LA for a new visa.

The law in China is clear on this. You must have your passport with you at all times.  It's not so they can keep a check on you, it's because they need to be able to identify you if something goes wrong.

If a Chinese person gets squashed by a bus, no problem, sweep up and hose down. If a foreigner without ID is mutilated beyond recognition, it could become an international issue.

Please just obey the law of the land, and carry your passport at all times. Otherwise you run the risk of giving us all a bad name.

If you try to travel in China without a passport, you are carrying a big tar loaded brush that will stain many people.

You might not agree with the law, and you might choose to ignore it. I think that's called arrogance.