Anyone been to Mainland China?

Wonderful place, Mainland China.  Got my visa no trouble in Hanoi.  Just gave my passport to hotel and visa arrived in a couple of days.  Even managed an extension in Beijing (lovely place) though it was a beaurocratic nightmare and costly!

yeah im planning to visit mainland China soon. Ive been living in Hong Kong, on and off, for 3 years and i bet itss way different on the mainland. JW

When I went to Hong Kong from Shenzhen on a trip last year, I felt there were 3 differences:

Hong Kong is hella crowded.  What's with 2 layers just for walking?
English is most commonly spoken in Hong Kong, probably due to former Brit colony
Everything is more expensive in Hong Kong.

Other than that, depend on where you go in mainland China.  I'd say it's more diverse than here in the states where most cities look fairly similiar(even canada has more differences between cities forgodsakes)

Checkyour country's embassy website for any updated info.  o maximize your chances of getting a visa, it is best to apply for it in your home country.  I had a friend who went to Hong Kong with all of the documents prepared beforehand but was told they also needed a Medical checkup certificate in addition to show that they were healthy.  Sometimes the visa office will throw you surprises like that, so be as prepared as possible.