Strictly speaking, long-term remote work on a tourist (L) visa is a grey area: your declared purpose is tourism, not employment. A week or two of online work rarely raises flags, but for long stays choose a compliant visa.
Options: a Z work visa (most solid, employer-sponsored); an X study visa with the part-time policy (loosened in some cities); repeated short tourist visits (exit every 90 days — costly and tiring); or watch for digital-nomad visa pilots, which are evolving fast.
Practical notes: complete accommodation registration within 24 hours (hotels do it for you); link a foreign card to Alipay/WeChat; foreign-source remote income generally isn’t taxed in China, but work for a domestic employer is. Consult a tax advisor and the exit-entry authority.
