Interesting thread, I am also intrigued by some of the places up in the north west of China... The road less explored.
My main frustration is that as a short term visitor to China I am not supposed to drive or rent a vehicle to get around off the beaten track, being dependent upon public transport or drivers to get around is much more of a faff, although the advent of Didi and similar has made this much much easier than it used to be. I do realise that the restrictions on renting a vehicle are probably 90% for my own protection due to the way the locals drive, and what a pickle a non-chinese person would end up in if there was some kind of accident. I think there are limited concessions for short term visitors to rent and drive within a few of the big cities but is the forum aware of any general movement on access to rental vehicles within China. Give me a car, some GPS maps, internet, and a translation app and I'm a happy holiday maker.