I said "many" not "most" because I don't pretend to know where everyone wants to end up. Perhaps my perspective is skewed because I am based in Shanghai and the majority of my friends in China are as well, but even when I lived in Beijing and later Shenzhen, I always had offices here. Furthermore, I'm guessing simply listing a friend's address (and maybe an invitation letter) would pass muster with the airport guys. In any event, I think you're blowing this out of proportion because the only downside to trying and failing is ending up inside a hotel room in a different part of the city.