Originally Posted by
narvik
I actually second this recommendation.
Also to note, the 10-year visa is valid for 10 years even if the current passport expires before the 10 years is up. (You can enter with a new passport and the expired passport containing the visa for the full 10 years.)
~$160 is CHEAP peace-of-mind!
Bingo
Huge hassle: these threads and the threat of not making it due to uninformed agents or total peace of mind.
Back when the visas were one year, I could totally understand the rationale but since they've been upped to 10 years, it's pretty good insurance. Plus there's so many interesting Chinese sites outside the major cities (Jiuzhaigou, Hongcun, Huangshan)