Sounds good that you enjoyed your trip. How did you manage lunch and dinner when you were on your own?

On those days,Shanghainese, the old belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day turned useful, and in the hotels i used there was a rich morning-buffet, both Chineese and western. I realy took care to make it long, not too early - would even say that i kind of 'stuffed' myself during breakfasts [and always put an extra boiled egg in my bag, and my minibar, for later]. Later I bought myself lots of fruits and yogurt in markets and local shops- found local conditories-chains for afternoon cofee and cake - as i came out of foot-massage in Beijing i happened to run into Mcdonald, so i bought french fries - in my hotel in Chengdu i asked for steamed rice and vegetables for dinner, gave specific orders to the cook, and it was ok - and someimes used a little of the kabanos and tuna-cans i brought with me from home.
China has so much more to offer than food, and the 'famous pekinese duck'... The money i 'saved' by avoiding restaurants i used to take privete guides or organised tours.. opera and other shows... taxi [i didn't bother with public transportation; taxi might turn not too cheap but is the best way to get to places when in forign city where nobody speaks English; and good guides can teach you a lot of the true facts of life in China].

Irit, I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. But be aware that China is perhaps the worst place in the world to hire a guide. Their "knowledge" of the history of the country consists of propaganda. You will get far more misinformation from a Chinese guide than real information. If you want history or background informations, you will get better information from a guidebook.

I liked your idea of "trading" spending on restaurants for spending on other things, like taxis.

While agreeing that it is nice that you enjoyed your trip, Kathie's comment about guides is, unfortunately true. And taking public transportation in China was among my favorite things, as it is a great way to get to see locals interacting with one another.

Well, guidebooks are of course a must; so are literary works, e.g. novels by Zhang Xianliang, like "Mimesis", in order to better understand this perplexing place, China. [I talked about him with my Exodux-guide, and was sorry to learn that he died a few months ago from cancer]. I did a lot of reading before i took off. Anyway, guides still can give you a different perspective; I was surprised at the open criticism some of them expressed towards the chineese government.

As for taxi vs public transportaion - that is i suppose a matter of personal taste; I'm quite 'spoiled' in that area even at home, always prefering the convenience of my privete car. Though i must mention that i travelled from Beijing to Xian on the night-train, and it was a much nicer experince than i expected it to be.

sorry - just a correction: Zhang Xianliang novel's book is called MIMOSA.