Would you recommend going to China on a tourist visa, finding work and then upgrading? Is this easy to do,or legal for that matter, and is it easy/risky to find freelance work with or without a work visa.

Any advice or recommendations would be great.
Thanks!

To upgrade, you would need to leave china to get a work visa. They don't upgrade in country.
People do freelance illegally, if teaching this would be part time work only, or self employed. But how long is the tourist visa now? 90 days and max 2x30 day extentions?

It would be easier to find work first, and then get your work visa before you arrive. Teaching is the easy job for visas, as long as you are white and breathing.

Thanks for the feedback. Though I've heard that you can find a better job (and avoid getting scammed) if you're there in person. I'd hate to get a job before leaving that turns out to be terrible, but that I get trapped in because my visa is dependent upon it. Thoughts?

risks both ways.
Your call.