As I don't live near a Chinese consulate, I used these guys: Passport Visa Express.com for my trip to PVG last October

It was a last minute business trip and we were leaving for PVG in less than 2 weeks, so we opted to pay for express service; the all-in cost for a 6 month, 2 visit visa including shipping was $157.00. They were great, and I'd definitely use them again.