I and my family all hold Canadian passports and plan to travel to China as a side trip from our visit to Hong Kong this December. We live in Edmonton and will have to apply for visas through the Chinese consulate in Calgary. We are considering the 6-month multiple-entry option, although really would only be doing the travel during December. As I'll be in Calgary in August, I'm thinking of taking the opportunity to submit our applications to the consulate at that time. Will the consulate accept applications this early, for travel in Dec? Would they cancel the visa if it wasn't used within 1 month of issue?