Visa to China is best done by travel agencies that specifically cater to this business, typically some but not all T/A's in Chinatown. While it's possible for an individual to get a China visa, the Chinese Consulates appear to be discouraging individual efforts because they make it unnecessarily cumbersome, time-consuming and frustrating. The Chinatown T/A's typically charge ~$100 indluding visa fee and takes less than a week. All you need is your passport valid at least 6 months from date of arrival in China plus a couple of passport-size photos. Practically any U.S. citizen can get a China visa. The visas are available as single entry, double-entry and multiple-entry. The multiple-entry visa typically have a validity of 1 year from date of issue.