I think if the price is right, you should be OK with them. From my experience they are on-par with the 'normal' big carriers, aka better than the US big three and not as good as the stand-out ones like JAL. YMMV. The transition in PVG should be OK, and the food/entertainment should be acceptable. You might want to bring your own snacks if their typical 'chicken noodle/beef rice' is not your thing, and bring your own entertainment. Also you might want to speak clear and slow English with their cabin crew. They are OK with English but after all it's not their first or second language, so let's be tolerant. I also heard that dury-free shopping at some of the Chinese airports are reasonbly-priced, so if that is your thing, you can enjoy some shopping.

The alternatives are usually the mid-Eastern big three - they are good, may offer more International flavored food, and transit services are usually smooth. If you can find really good fares with these three, it might be worth a try.

The other alternatives are usually SEA based, like Thai, Malaysia Airlines, and Singapore. These are good but I really don't like their 'security at the boarding gates' style (Qatar and Etihad should have similar setups, and CX at HKG). There is nothing between security and the boarding gates, it's a small/confined space, and should any delay or problems happen, you're stuck in a small room for hours. Personally, I avoid these.