MY wife and I always use hotel points in China (Hyatt in Xian; St. Regis in Beijing). We also use Yoee.com or Ctrip to buy etickets in the US for Domestic China flights. Easy to do (and cheap, if you follow the standard moondorg advice and buy about 4-8 days before the trip date). You can watch the various fare buckets as they decline in price as the trip date approaches. I think 55% or 60% off list is the maximum allowed by the government. Anyhow, using Yoee.com, we paid about $50US each way Beijing-Xian.