I've had over a dozen tourist visas. No letters, no hotel reservations (never had them, we've always stayed with relatives), just submit the application and get back the visa.

I'm not in a sensitive field and we've always been going to Shanghai (although we have at times made side-trips elsewhere, generally within one-day ground range of Shanghai but we did fly to Beijing once.) I am also married to a former Chinese citizen and most of the time our applications have been submitted together.