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I presume it's because consulates and embassies routinely never answer phone calls.

Yes, i've tried on numerous times to contact the Chinese Embassy here in the UK but with no avail..

Thats why i was kind of hoping someone on here could help me out...

Agree that it is a difficult situation, and I doubt whether you will get much help from the Chinese consulate. One of the problems is that regulations have only recently changed, so nobody is very sure how the new ones are being interpreted.

First if you are flying into Hong Kong (and out of Beijing?) then hopefully this is enough to satisfy the 'return flights into China' which is a requirement now. Hong Kong is part of China so should in theory satisfy the requirement.

For the list of cities, I would just write Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing plus list of days. This should be enough.

One more thing- you might be asked about accommodation in China. Do you have any bookings that you can show?

Good luck, and please let us know how you get along. There are many others in a similar position to you.

It's hard to be sure with recent changes and the fact that every consulate seems to have its own rules, but that said:

You only need to list your major destinations on your application. I've never bothered to list every little place I was going to, let alone every place I might pass through on a train. I'm confident this will not be a problem.

I agree that it makes sense to include your flight information into Hong Kong. Even though you only need a visa for the rest of China, flights to and from Hong Kong are proof of how long you plan to stay in China.

It wouldn't hurt to include the web information for the train you plan to take from Hong Kong to Beijing.

The main concern in any case is not proof you are coming into China, but your proof of when and how you will leave.

I am currently looking into my visa application for next month so don't have the answers to help you as yet.

My one thought to mention was that the visa will run for 90 days (I think) from the date of application so you need to make sure you don't apply too soon. One of my friends didn't realise this and wasted a morning at the visa office.

Oh i didnt realise re 90 days either.

i am going for the olympics via HK. So i guess I am best waiting until end of June to apply.

Visas are usually valid for 90 days - so far that regulation has not been changed. However, July 1 seems to be an important date with new changes (unknown as yet!) believed to be occurring then. Therefore, I'd wait before applying, but wouldn't leave it until July.

It appears that only visas valid for 30 days are being issued at this time. Read this thread......

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294211-i642-k1874…