please advise what is required fro us to apply a Chinese visa?

You are suggested to apply for a single entry Tourist L for entering China to avoid troubles. Both of you are suggested to use your valid national passports to apply. Besides, you still need to provide an an application form, a recent taken photo, your hotel booking, round trip tickets for applying. You can prepare a copy of your United Nationals in your documents as a reference for application.

Thanks for your message. But what if we buy round trip ticket and we are denied visa. We just want to go there for a week as we have United Job to come back to.

Jayne, preparing the round trip tickets is the rule. You can contact the embassy to consult whether it is OK for not preparing the ticket.