I believe the journey to Mars is nearly impossible for China as you suggest, basing my conclusion on some of the points you remark.

Points in view:

1) Path corrections. This will be the less difficult to achieve since the science of planetary course projection is a straight forward concept mastered by astronomers and physics applied to space travel during 40 years experience with rocket launching, satellite orbit correction and interplanetary probe plotted course.

2) Cosmic Gamma Radiation. This will be (and it is still today) the biggest travel challenge to overcome in a journey to Mars (or any other planet in the Solar system). Cosmic radiation paired with zero gravity presents a great danger to human health during space travel in a short period of time. Deteriorated physical condition, the loss of muscle tone and the reduction of blood red cells, both causing physical weakness on astronauts, are some of the inconveniences the human body will face during the trip to Mars. The capsule will require a lead shield to protect astronauts during the trip. The weight of the shield adds a major drawback on the design of a future Mars craft. This problem still remains unsolved by NASA scientists. No breakthrough on this field has been developed by China yet.

3) 7 month of journey. Depending on the orbit position of both Earth and Mars at any given moment the travel could last between 6 to 12 months. Again the travel distance is connected in equal proportion with the Cosmic Radiation treat. The longer the exposure the greater the risk. Air, food supply, tight space environment or any other life sustaining characteristic fell short in comparison to the radiation menace.

4) Cost to build a space ship. This will be the paramount challenge to overcome during the Mars project. Enough is to say that the whole US aerospace industrial complex was reunited in the biggest human endeavour 40 years ago to build the Apollo program which cost billions at the time. This required the conjunction of the best minds of the XX century, half a million workers, the whole military establishment, the government limitless founding of their space agency, the promise of a death president and the will of the most powerful nation on earth to accomplish the goal to put a man on the nearest rock to our planet. China had done nothing comparably in order to make us think that they will succeed with a Mars landing. It surpass their actual technological and monetary capabilities.

5) The return of Investment in Scientific Knowledge. It doesn´t need to be a genius to understand that this will be a sink hole. The drainage of money will turn this enterprise into a waste of capital never seeing before. In order to accomplish the feat, China or any other country (including the US) should go to Mars charing the weight of the project with many of the richest countries in the world. This won´t be done without the participation of other wealthy nations. The return on investment will be peanuts comparing to the bulk of wasted capital.

Finally, one needs to observe that China has launched 5 manned rockets so far and their technology is based (copy-cat) on the Russian 47 year old Soyuz capsule which is no more than a "cement mixer casing with a bunch of switches and a window". At the moment they are at the same level the Russians were in 1961. It requires a lot, lot more than that to attempt a jump on far away Mars.

Impossible will be the word to stamp on the Chinese intended sci-fi Mars project.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/moon/img/lm3.jpg
U.S. Apollo Lunar Module on the way down to the Moon during the 60´s

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