Godfather is a verb?

The way to make any local to like you is to make it clear you don't intend to win them over. Unless they exceptionally progressive, normal people.

Make it clear that you consider them to be beneath you. That you are indulging in a morganatic marriage to their daughter out of love for her in spite of her being from a family of lesser education than your own. That you won't tolerate any of their nonsense.

They need to impress you, not vice versa. You're the one with the passport from a developed country and better values. (probably)

Act like it. You are the one with the power, not them. Give them an inch they'll take a mile. 

Just throw out your playbook for being a decent human being and you'll be fine.

if you are rich: very easy

if not:

convince them that you wont leave china and take their daughter away. Tell plans you buy a house or whatsoever

If you are english teacher this might be much more difficult (nothing against teachers, but they don't have the reputation for being stable for chinese parents)

"That's not happening." Do you mean that you have unilaterally decided that it won't happen (which you really, really, really have no control over), you and your girlfriend have mutually agreed that it won't happen (some chance there), or she has unilaterally decided that it won't happen (future complications in the hundreds)?

"Blood is thicker than water," certainly most true in the Chinese way of thinking. You can try to take a "traditional Chinese" approach to dealing with the parents - meet & greet, gifts, full disclosure of your current financial situation and plans for the future, reassurance that mom & pop will be taken care of in the 'golden years,' etc.

Good luck either way.

Sinobear is pointing at an ugly truth about China. Parenting is based on fear, you GF essentially holds fear at some level for her parents, when it comes to a choice, you loose. 

My FIL was very easy, he has studied in the US, although a hardcore fan of the line "China is the best place in the country" he has put no restrictions on us, no other demands than to take care of his daughter. The MIL.... I think she saw the foreign passport and the opportunity to have more than one grandkids and to go to foreign country for vacations each year. 

Well, here's the thing. My wife give them the hint a few years in advance when we first met. We dated for a few years and THEN we got married... they were kind of already warmed up to the idea.

But here's another thing. Although they don't really want her to marry you ... because they worry about face, being laughed at... and your stability (because you can take off whenever you please and they can't follow)...

Chances are you make more than them. And this is a huge factor in deciding if you are "right" for their daughter. I know how much my in-laws make... and I alone make about 6-8x my wife's father, mother, brother and sister-in-law (combined) per month.

So should I seek their approval?

Yes, by being polite and well mannered. But should I fall over myself trying to make them happy? Hell no. Like expatlife26 said, they should be proving themselves to you. I lent them like 100k RMB to put a down-payment on my bother in law's apartment. They frequently stay over at our place anything they need to do something in the city (they are village folk). And what have I asked them for besides marrying their daughter?

Not a god damn thing! So let me tell you this. Chances are you are better than 95% of the Chinese guys out there. You probably make more than 95%, your passport is way better... you most likely don't beat up women, you most likely don't go binge drinking almost everyday or have a few mistresses. Cause that's what a lot of "successful" Chinese males do.

Just stand confident, be polite... try to speak a little Mandarin and you are golden. They know the score.

Not marrying their daughter.

I have a friend in China. He met his girlfriends grandparents and parents for the first time (after weeks of rambling and refusing to meet him). They just wanted to be assured that he wouldn't just abandon her in China if they got married and had a child.

They asked him a lot of questions but what sealed the deal was when they asked him how much he earns. I live in a City where the average income is around 3,000 to 4,000 RMB a month. He was making around 4 times more then that as an English teacher. That sealed the deal, they got married!

Just assure them you will provide her a stable life, a good life and that you won't abandon her and everything will be ok!

Thanks Guys ,  I'm finding a lot of this advice to be true

Your mileage may vary. Flashback time...

My wife disobeyed her parents to marry me. They wanted 200,000 RMB, and I utterly refused. I was ready to walk out the door and never come back, but she said she wanted to go with me, that she doesn't care about money, and she was crying and telling her family she's not "goods to be sold."

Several months later, we got married without their permission, in secret. Her brother demanded a divorce and an abortion, and he dragged my wife away kicking and screaming. I beat the everloving fuck out of her parents, and her brother, when that happened.

And she still stayed with me. Passport chasers, gold diggers, and overly filial cunts will root themselves out. They will show you one red flag after another, and you'd be a fool to stay with them at that point.

Find a woman who loves you, and will be with you no matter what. It's really that simple. Don't put any effort into winning over her parents because they don't fucking matter. Either they like you, or they don't. If they do like you, you'll have their blessing. If they don't like you, your woman will have to decide between you... but be forewarned, it's not an easy path.