Hainan is a bit stronger at PEK vs PVG so I'd envision that's why they started PEK-BOS first.
-They actually talked up PVG-BOS quite a bit before switching their focus to BJS-BOS
-CA's stranglehold on BJS and MU's on SHA doesn't extend beyond major cities in other countries, so BOS, LAS, HNL, BRU, etc are there for the taking
-I don't think onward connections are much of a factor because they're really only promoting connections that would work equally well from either city
-The vast majority of US flights during COVID used PVG as a gateway, and the balance remains lopsided, though not as much, so BJS seemingly presented more opportunity
-I'm really liking their pricing (in economy only, unfortunately) thus far