Chinese Visa Questions

[maddiepaddy]

My H and I are going to China this summer and I'm a bit confused by the visa process. I don't live near an embassy or consulate, so that means I need a visa agent, correct? Does anyone have an agency to recommend? All the websites I've looked at so far seem a bit sketchy. 

Also, my H will be presenting a paper at a conference while we're there. He is not being paid. I assume he can still go on a tourist visa?

And finally, we are going to Japan first, then to HK (with a quick layover in shanghai) and then into mainland China. I will just need a one entry visa with this itinerary, right? I wouldn't need a visa until I went as far north from HK as Shenzhen, correct?

i just really don't want to end up there without the correct documents!

[origami]

As long as you're not going from mainland China to HK then back to mainland China it sounds like you only need 1 entry. We used A Briggs for our visas. Great service but so expensive.

ETA: I'm not sure about the tourist/presentation question.

[mdgirl]

Does your husband have any colleagues who have done this recently? When mine had a presentation in China last summer one of his co-workers recommended a local travel agent who could take care of his visa. When he talked to the agent he asked about the business thing, and he recommended a tourist visa.

We both went to Hong Kong in December and there's no visa needed.