Finding an actual authoritative source on Chinese visa requirements has been difficult - there's a lot of second hand information around, but nothing official that I can find.
Indeed. Probably the easiest way to get a Chinese visa these days it to go to Bangkok. Hand your passport to any travel agency on Ko San road and they'll send a guy over to the embassy to sort everything out for you. And somehow it works.
Way smoother than trying to convince the embassy in LA to process your application, and likely more convenient that going to LA in person (which might not even get you anywhere depending on the whims of the Chinese at that moment).
I've visited China through Beijing and Hong Kong numerous times over the last couple years, and without a doubt the best way to do it is through a Visa intermediary such as travisa.com or A Briggs (http://www.abriggs.com). I've used others in the past, but we had an emergency trip about a year ago where one of our fellow travelers needed to go at the last minute (ie, we were leaving on Weds, and they decided to go on the Sunday before), and A Briggs helped us get them a passport and the Chinese Visa, and had it waiting at the airport for our departure. They also have agents you deal with directly.
I'll definitely use them again. The point though, is that for a nominal fee, it's just easier to have someone who does visas every day handle the China situation for you, at least in my experience.
How is the state department an authoritative source for Chinese visa requirements? They change them about every 6 months anyways, the invitation letter is a new thing they started last year.
