Originally Posted by bp888
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.
Actually, the SF Chinese Visa Office is extremely easy to use, though can be busy at times. I have gotten both of my visas there and saved the $100 for the visa service, going to lunch at Benihana across the street in Japan Town or dim sum at Yank Sing. I had a single entry visa issued with less than 3 month left on my last passport, showing my ticket, that I was leaving China in 4 days. The most recent was a 1 year multi entry leisure visa, which didn't require any tickets to show the 3 trips I had planned.