Travel to China in November (Beijing)

Hi Co-internations! Can anyone direct me to a good (and quite cheap) travel agency where I can book our travel. My wife and I are planning to visit China from the UAE. We would like to visit Beijing and Shanghai. Any tips on where to start off would be appreciated. Also, can you suggest if traveling by rail to shanghai is any good (heard about the accidents recently and I'm quite concerned about safety). We will be traveling by the 21st of November maybe up to the 30th. Thanks a lot!