My husband is in the Ph and I want him to come over here in Beijing under a dependent visa

My friend, who is in Shanghai, said that I can just ask him to come over under a tourist visa and have him process all the requirements here in Beijing instead. I know that the policies differ between the cities but I want to know what will be the quickest and more practical way to process his visa. Is it the tourist visa then have it changed here or get him a dependent visa from the ph. Your replies and suggestion are most appreciated thanks