I would like to plan a trip to China on my own but have found getting the Chinese visa to be a big hang up. I live about 5 hours away from Chicago and the visa services I have seen charge about $60 per passport to take the application to the consulate (need 2). This is in addition to the visa fee. The Chinese do not accept visa applications by mail. This price seems outrageous to me so I thought I would see if anyone has found a cheaper solution to this problem. I would need the visa in about one month.