Originally Posted by moondog

I would:

1) limit Japan to 7-10 days
2) skip Seoul and Beijing (February is cold)
3) take Spring Airlines from Japan to Shanghai, availing of a y1 fare
4) allow up to 2 weeks making your way towards Nanning
5) head south from there toward Singapore

Cheap places: second/third tier China, Thailand, VN
Moderate places: first tier China, second tier Japan, Malaysia
Expensive places: Tokyo, HK, Singapore, Australia

ETA: I was in SIN getting ready to leave when I wrote this post earlier today, and reviewed my expenses on the plane; "expensive" is an understatement; the money I dropped in 2 days there would have been sufficient to last for 3 months in Nanning.