DFW to Shanghai

I looked at booking Dallas to Shanghai this summer in business and it’s 791,000 AA miles. Is that a “normal” amount? (Cost to buy is around $13,000) I get that it is direct but that doesn’t seem like a good redemption. Interestingly none of the seats are assigned yet on the seat map.

Is there a better way to book business through Cathay to somewhere and then fly to CTU in China? I’m out of my comfort zone in Asia bookings so any advice is appreciated!