I am sitting right now at the JW Marriott in downtown Shanghai (looking at the Marriott City Center outside my window). Of all the countries I've visited over the years, China has the least number of fluent English-speakers, even in western hospitality chains. So an e-mail with a complex request will be hit-or-miss, and does your friend really want to take that chance? So Moondog's advice was most certainly not a joke.

Not to be too nosy, but if you share the specifics of the request here, maybe someone will have another suggestion as to how to get it fulfilled.