What documents do I need authenticated?

I will be going to back to China with my wife and daughter (4 months old). The plan is to leave my daughter with my wife's grandparents for around 7 months (over 180 days). If I apply for a Q1 visa this should give her a single entry for 30 days, the challenge is that I'll be staying in China for roughly 3 weeks so it'll be difficult to access any of my documents in the UK. Is it possible to apply for a Q2 first (to get a longer stay) then apply for a Temporary Residency Permit in China? If not, what documents are required for legalization/authentication?

Thanks
Simon (UK)