Asked by Alex from United Kingdon regarding China visa

Hi, I got 2 questions please :-
1) I am going to tour in China for 10 days arriving in Shanghai. I will then fly to Korea for a few days before going back to UK via Shanghai for transit. Do I need a double entry visa to China because of the transit?
2) My wife's brother lives in China, my wife and I are retired now and would like to visit him probably each year and visit surrounding areas inside China or other nearby countries. Can I apply a multiple entries visa for a longer term ? What is the maximum length I could apply for and what kind of information I need to provide for the application? Many thanks.