They will fine you up to 500 RMB per day that you have overstayed your visa. If you don't pay, they can detain you until you cough up some cash.

I don't think there is any way out of it. They won't let you leave until they get their money.

your best option is to sneak out. mitch, you will be fined and possibly detained. you broke the law, they will not let you leave scotch free. 

how many days did you over stay? it does matter.

Along the lines of what crimo said, you could also try to take a land route out. Take a back road to Vietnam or something. Worth a shot if you're close to the border. With the length of time you've overstayed, the last thing you want to do is alert the authorities. I hope you're using a proxy to post here.

Going to your Embassy will be a waste of time, they can not do a thing for you, just wish you good luck.  With a one year overstay in your visa, in their eyes you are a criminal, and have shown no respect for their laws and regulations, which is really bad.  If you try to leave thu an airport or border station, you will be detained by the immigration officer under the "overstay" provisions, and most probably send to jail until you pay the maximum fine, which I do think it was either 5,000 or 10,000 Rmb, I do not remember exactly the amount now.  Once the fine is paid, you will be deported, and for at least 5 to 10 years will not be able to get another visa to enter China.  The only other way around this is to bypass Chinese immigration at a border station, which is also risky as hell, but doable if you do become familiar with the lay out first and do your homework.  But I refuse to say more, I do not patronize at all breaking any laws anywhere.

The best thing for you to do is to face the music and pay the fine, get the money somehow from family or friends. If there is no way possible of getting the money, then I have no idea why you let yourself get to this point.

You could get a fake visa via the black market that shows a one year visa starting from the time when your last visa expired. The visa will be void and have never been processed, so you will still be in shit and in China on a fake visa, but at least you could act dumb, and say that you paid for what you thought to be a true valid one year visa. Will it help? maybe, but you have to expect the worst.

You could try crossing into North Korea.

There was a guy called Ryan123 about a year or so ago, who had the same problem. Complained that he was holed up in his apt. and not able to go out.  I guess he finally took my advice and went to North Korea. Never heard from the kid again.

Burma, Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan may  be options too, if you are near them Be warned  however, that if you travel by train and by plane they do check your visa. so do hotels. How did they not catch you before?

its really no big deal.... borrow a friends passport... photo scan the VISA...  make it into a label...  paste it into your passport....  Just don't leave at the same tiime ...   make sure your friend is not leaving any time soon