Originally Posted by
YuropFlyer
Make double (or triple) sure that your boarding pass will say PEK-BKK, and not mention Chengdu. Probably if all you can produce will be an eticket printout that will show the stop in Chengdu, it will cause trouble. Make absolutely sure that you're exiting in Beijing, and even then, I would NOT due this. Too much risk involved. Get a visa.
Thanks for the explanation! Even though my OB flight is direct flight to third country (so same flight#) but stops at Chengdu for an hour, I am still not sure whether I need a Visa or not. If it were just me, I will easily cough up $150 but here we are talking about visa fees for 3 ppl, so not quite sure If I would want to spend $450 needlessly

but on the other hand, piece of mind is always good in these situations esp when travelling with infant. I am interested in other ppl experiences. Has anyone done it before with just the TWOV? here is a recap of what my itin. looks like.
02/21/2014 arrived in PEK at 9:45 PM from ORD (actually starting from PHL).
02/242014 leaving for third country from PEK at 3:00 PM.
This is a direct flight in a sense that it has same flight number but stops in CTU for an hour or so with no plane changes or anything on AirChina flight (we will be within the 72 hour limit when leaving PEK).
03/09/2014 Arriving back in PEK at 4:00 pm for our next day flight to ORD (ending at PHL).
I am concerned about the bolded part and wondering if anyone has similar experience.
Again thanks a lot for helping lot of folks and me with this vast amount of information.