6 months trainee

I (Norwegian) want to go to china for a 6 months (paid) trainee period with an international company. This has been successfully accomplished previous years by applying for a M-type, extending it to 3 months, then leaving China and reapplying for M-type, and extending it to 3 months, ending up with a total of 6 months

Is this still possible? And can any nationalities apply for a visa at any of the consolar offices of China?