I am getting conflicting answers about this question, I am not sure if I need to obtain a Chinese visa or not. Two of us are traveling from the United States on a US passport to Singapore, then we take a cruise to Hong Kong. No visa is required for Hong Kong according to the cruise line. I have airplane tickets from Hong Kong to Beijing and from Beijing back to the United States. My total time in Beijing is less than 72 hours. Not sure if traveling in from Hong Kong qualifies as a separate country according to the 72 hour visa free transit rules. Does my travel itinerary qualify for the 72 hour visa free transit or should I get the visa to be safe? Does anyone know an official place I can either go (Embassy Website) or call an embassy to answer my question? Can you just call a Chinese embassy and ask questions?

I would hate to spend the money on the visas if I don't need to but its not worth the hassle we get denied entry and worrying about the whole trip until I get to Beijing.