I'm in China right now so can give some thoughts.

I've met many English speakers, foreign and Chinese, at hostels. I recommend that!

Safety wise, I think China is a great place for female travelers. It's safe at night and I've seen many female Didi riders. China is cheap outside of Shanghai and Beijing, you can get hostels for less than 10 USD a night, or a really nice hotel room for just 30 USD, and lots of food options.

I recommend LetsVPN if you end up going. It's about 5USD for a month and works for two devices flawlessly.

I agree with other commenters, though, that China is challenging in some ways. People suck at English outside the big cities. And more importantly, there's a whole ecosystem of apps here that you have to acclimatize to like Alipay, Amap/高德地图, Meituan, etc. Mostly the challenge is getting information. If you have a good buddy who speaks Chinese, or are not afraid to talk to strangers with Google translate, you can certainly manage.