Get your hotel booked while in the airport terminal--- you can select all sorts of hotel, with your budget available, from 100 to 1000 yuan ( Ren Ming Bi ). 100 yuan = 50 riyals
My suggestion is in Xi Dan that area, at the west side of the Tian An Men, very centrally located and convenient to get around

Transport: Airport bus leave airport terminal so frequent, almost every 15 minutes and will take you to where you want to get off in the major city location. Xi Dan is the end stage and that area is one of the majot shopping district in Beijing.

Bus, subways are easy to navigate , if you can pronounce Han Yu Ping Ying. Subways is very easy to get to many places and just read the map of the route.

Otherwise taxi, but certainly cost a lot more compared to buses or subway--bust cost only ONE riyal for most distance you travel, may be 2 to 3 riyals with an airconditioned bus.

Travelling in the major tourist sites in and outside Beijing, you can just joi the local tourist buses, they are all routed, and many are around the Train staion and the Qian Men area, check with the hotel staff--all hotel staff are very friendly to get along with--but be sure don't be rude to them.

Shanghai--same principle applies, booked hotel at the airport terminal before leaving airport.

More to see outside of shanghai-- those cannal regions from XuZhou to Zhou Zhuang--Xi Tang- Su Zhou-- Tai Hu. If time allowed, than carry on to Hang Zhou.

Beijing you need 7 to 10 days, shanghai city may be 3 days, and the cannal ( The delta region ) may be another 7 days.

Always change money at the bank, the bank of China can cash you major currencies, traveller's cheque, very little commission.. Restaurants are everywhere, including Muslim restaurants-- remind you that the majority of the people from the western part of China are muslims, so it is easy to get muslim meal--look for Qing Zheng restaurants, the signs is always green , with crescent.

It is safe to get around in anywhere in China, but same as any place, always have full precaution and avoid unnecessay approached by strangers trying for currency exhcnage-- many of them are standing outdise any Bank of China branches.

Hotels over the price of 120 yuan ( 60 riyals) are clean and safe enough. 200 yuan price hotels are as good as those 3-4 stars western hotels in the middle east. Alwas ask for discount-- all starred hotel got lots of discount 20-40 %.

Domestic airfare are with lots discount too, depends on the flight time of the day.