Im currently in Shanghai for PhD research for the next month, and visiting a couple of universities here (as well as Nanjing for a bit). I fly back to Perth, Australia on Christmas day, and have free time from the 20th to the 25th of December. However Im struggling to work out the best place to visit during that time, almost everyone I talk to has given me conflicting advice!

Places been: Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing, Erlian/Erenhot

Places considering: Xian, Chengdu, Guilin/Yangshuo, Taipei, Seoul (although the last two are long shots, Id assume it would make more sense to stay in China)

Budget: My plan is to stay in hostels, but Im quite flexible. As my university is paying for the research related component of my travel, I dont really have too much of a budget constraint here.

Interests: Food, culture, history, landscapes. Im not much of a drinker, Id rather spend my money on good food than drinks.

Transport: I was aiming for sleeper trains, or if thats not available then domestic flights

Im currently booked on Cathay Pacific from PVG-HKG-PER on the 25th, but I have a flexible ticket so I can make changes up to 24 hours before I leave. The only restriction I think is that it must be Cathay Pacific, but Im assuming thats relatively easy from most major Chinese cities.

Also, are there any cool places outside of Shanghai that would make for a good weekend trip? Say, Friday night to Monday morning?

Let me know if I need to clarify anything!