Don't think VP will mind me sharing this but I wanted to vouch for him, he's legit.
I've been in contact with VP about China and he put me in touch with his recruiter for the schools in Hangzhou. I recently interviewed with the recruiter over Skype and it was pretty chill. The recruiter informed me he would pass along my resume to the schools and he seemed confident there would be a position for me. I haven't been offered anything at this time but that may be a result of me not submitting all my documents.
Regarding the general process from what I've learned the tier 1 cities, specifically Bejing and Shanghai, seem to require a 4 year Bachelors Degree, 2 year's teaching experience and no criminal record check (possibly for last 7 years only, it's difficult to find this information) from the FBI (for Americans). These documents allow the school to apply for a "Foreign Expert" license, one of the needed documents to teach in China.
Now tier 2-3 cities, remote areas and other provinces might have more relaxed requirements. It also seems as though each province may do things slightly differently. Start knocking on doors and see what the motherfucker says. For example my recruiter seems willing to doctor my college info as I don't have a degree, he also only asked for a criminal check through my state and not the FBI.
After sending all your documents to the recruiter/school you will receive an official work invitation in the mail from the Chinese school which you will send in with your Z-Visa application to the Chinese Embassy. After landing in China you have 30 days to get a medical check (HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Tuberculosis) which then allows you to turn your Z-Visa into a Resident Permit and at that point your now legal to work in China. I believe I've covered all the steps.
My situation isn't quite as straightforward due to needing a new passport, not having a Bachelors Degree and criminal charges in the previous millennium but I will mimic VP's comments in that it sure seems like there is a large demand for native English speakers to come teach.
I'm not trying to hug anyone's nuts but VP was the first member that I've really interacted with outside the forum and I'll admit to being a little hesitant about sharing some personal information but he's shown to be what this forum is all about in my opinion. This man took the time to explain through the process and what to expect, answer any questions I had, connect me with his recruiter and even helped me improve my resume.
I hope to one day buy him a TSINGTAO beer while we game a table full of beautiful, feminine, pleasant Chinese women!