Could you advise me if I need a visa?

Hi, I hold a British passport and live in Birmingham (a couple of hours away from London). A good friend of mine is getting married in August 2014, I was told the place we are going is at Gaoming, Foshan, Guangdong. If so, would I need the Tourist L(reading from the Main Types post)? Also do I need to go the embassy to apply for it or can it be done online (ie. email or links here where I can upload my photo and copies of my documents? How long will this whole process take? Thanks in advance :)