Thanks for the update and that you got a semi-acceptable outcome ('semi' because it really shouldn't have got to the stage where it impacted your holiday in the first place
)
Is there anything which can be shared with flyertalk, particularly for the main TWOV thread in the China forum, to assist someone else who may find themselves in the same position in the future? For example, the name of the department your issue was finally referred to? This might at least mean issues can be resolved before the plane leaves.