China's approach to lunar exploration is exactly right. They've been building up experience and technology for living in space with Tiangong, communications infrastructure with Queqiao, and navigation and landing experience as well as observation and samples from the lunar surface with Chang'e. By the time they actually send people to the moon (still before Artemis) they'll be going to a site that's already been surveyed and mapped by rovers, with experiments in making fuel and structures from lunar material already underway.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that there's no reason to ever send anyone to planets, but the go far plant flag mission is a pretty total waste of time, money, and risk. Did you know Apollo only ever put exactly one (1) scientist on the moon, in the very last mission?