I can't imagine you're going to get through transit in many places without some check on government ID to confirm that the boarding pass is being presented by the named traveller. China especially so.

And although the document check for you to be able to transit and enter your destination will have been done back at your origin, you can be sure that Chinese paranoia for rules can ensure that would be another document check by the airline at the gate for the destination.

Even if they should not need it, when someone in a position of authority wants to see your government ID in China you're not going to refuse are you? You going to try and argue that they don't need to see it? Good luck!