Entering by train leaving by ship

Hi - 2 questions
1: can we get a chinese visa more than 3 months before we enter China (we are travelling Europe for 4 months before entering China and will not be in our home country Australia within 3 months of entering China
2: we would like to enter China by train from Kazakhstan. It is hard to provide train details but we are leaving by ship from Hong Kong - is it ok to provide just the cruise ticket leaving Hong Kong when applying for a visa?
Thank you!