Vulcan, when I was in Hong Kong, I went to the travel agency located in my hotel to see if they had another one day trip to China that it was not the one that I already had (the Guangzhou one). The travel agent asked me if I needed a visa so they could process it. She was quite surprised that I already had the visa in ORD. So I assume that yes you can get a visa there.

Thanks:
I've been in contact with some FTers in HKG who are looking into the availability of Visa's at Lo Wu. I'm sure I can get it in HKG, but I just thought it would be easier, and faster at the border, if that could be done. I am still awating difinitive word.

I encountered the same thing while there at the end of 1999. My wife and I were looking around and saw a unknown Chinese brand priced higher than a Sony and a Panasonic machine. We were asking each other what features might be present in the unknown brand to make it more expensive than these brand name machines. The shop keeper heard us and said oh, no problem if we liked Sony better, he'd put the Sony label on any of them we would want to buy!

As to visas, we just saw on the local Chinese TV news last night that visas were no longer needed for Shenzhen and Guang Zhou. Don't know if applies to all passports or what other restrictions there are.

Oddly, I heard yesterday from a HKG based FTer who checked rather thoroughly and was told that you CANNOT get one at the Lo Wu border crossing. I am going to try and double check but, this means euither getting it before we go or getting it the same day in Hong Kong for use the next day.

Well, the conflicting advice continues. Following is an email I received from China Travel Service in HKG in response to my email. Note that they say one can get a Visa at Lo Wu for Shenzhen. This is good news.
============================================thanks for your email on 26 february, 2001.
you can apply china visa at my office in hongkong. the regular service take three working days within weekday and the cost is hk$180.00. we also offer one day service within weekday for visa application and the cost is hk$380.00.
of course, you also can apply china visa in your country, and you can get the visa for shenzhen special economic zone at the lo wu border, but we do not have any information, if you would like to have more information of them, you can contact chinese embassy in you country.
with kindly regards.