Originally Posted by
Dave Noble
The official webpage of the nation in section "Home > Visa & Consular Affairs > Visa for China" seems a pretty reasonable place to use as an authoritative source
I assume you mean some kind of embassy website? They're notoriously outdated. TIMATIC is the only source used to verify if you're able to travel or not - not just for China, but every country (and there are countless examples where VERY small differences makes HUGE differences in outcomes. I've a friend who had a terrible experience with a layover (or NOT!) in Australia just because of such tiny prints..