Thanks for all your kind comments!
I paid $555 all in for this one way trip from DXB to TPE, so I felt okay. I did not expect much from the beginning so in the end, I got one segment on China Airlines towards the end of the trip. I felt pretty good.
It is an interesting experience, but I am not sure if I want to transit at PRC again, as it seems to be different rules with different pairings/routes. But I still have one major PRC airline that I have yet to fly on - Air China. So I have to find an affordable way to fly this airline soon!
Thanks again!
Carfield