this will be my second time to China. I lived there for 1 year teaching English In Taiyuan (Shanxi province). Although it was a very dirty city, it hadn't really been affected by Western culture, so I had a genuine china experience. We didn't have much time for travelling though.

The places that I have been are; the great wall, terra cotta warriors (Xi'an), pingyao and Qingdao.

This time I'm starting in Beijing because I want to see everything that was done for the Olympics since I was there last (2006). From there I don't really have a plan...

I'm 21 and travelling by myself this time. I'm plannin to stay in hostels wherever I go (as they are cheap and I'll meet some cool people). I want ideas of where to go (by train). I appreciate small cities as much as big and I don't want to focus on tourist attractions (I don't believe that a genuine experience is gained this way).

Like I said, I'm doing this on a budget (and plan to eats lots of the local food, rather than western crap I can get in Canada). I'm looking for ideas on which cities and hostels to visit as well as what to see while I'm visiting. over 5 weeks I was hoping to cover a few different locations, but I will return to Beijing to fly home.

Spend some time looking on TripAdvisor where you can check out tourist feedback on places in China you can also contact people to ask specific questions its the best place to get information on places you may like to see from people who have actually been there.

Hi Remi,
I myself was an English teacher in China for a couple years, then I went budget backpacking to all 33 provinces in China for another 2 years.
Since you understandably have less time than I did, you will have to condense the best of the best. You have already seen the classic attractions and now are eager to get off the tourist trail and visit "real China". This is exactly what I did.
First of all, you should understand that most places in China do not have Youth Hostels. These are a luxury found only in the larger, tourist cities. See the link below for a list of all the hostels in China.
http://www.yhachina.com/index.php?hostID=2
This fact alone makes it extremely hard to visit remote villages and cities that do not cater to westerners, because the Chinese government heavily restricts which hotels foreigers are allowed to stay in; they force you to pay for four-star hotels (to squeeze as much tourist dollar out of you as possible) while making affordable boarding houses illegal to westerners. Read the article below for more details on this.
http://chinatravel.iblog.com/post/228189/457579
But basically, if you want to go off the beaten path, you are going to have a heck of a time finding a place to sleep.
I personally have a fondness for remote villages and ethnic minority culture, so I like to suggest West China as a fun backpacking route. Start in Guangxi, then up to East Guizhou, then across to South Yunnan, then North Yunnan, then if you still have time up into Tibet and then up into Xinjiang. This will cover a broad spectrum of ethnic minorities and undeveloped regions.
If you are into ancient architecture, I suggest Central China around South Anhui into North Jiangxi, then over to Jiangsu, down to Zhejiang and then Fujian. The villages there are stunning.
I've posted some contextual links below. Hope this helps!
Have fun! And feel free to contact me with any specific questions.
Tom Carter
http://www.tomcarter.org
p.s. Remi, instead of a guide book for your adventure, I'd like to suggest my new book of photography CHINA: Portrait of a People as a visual map of China's most scenic, off-the-beaten-path places to visit. It covers all 33 provinces highlights all those cool, unknown places you'll want to visit. Thank you for your support.
http://www.blacksmithbooks.com/9789889979942.htm

If you are going to China, I suggest you invite a few friends. It can be scary if you are in a foreign country alone. There are so many unique places you can see while you are there. What are the types of things that you enjoy to do? This information would help me to suggest things for you.