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Overall, the idea is really cool! If it gets serious support, definitely include me, as I love China and Chinese culture!
Now, some ideas:
There are 5 (not 4!) elements in Chinese culture, each with its own color, representing a geographical direction, symbolizing the gradual cyclical transition from Yin to Yang (and vice versa), and associated with a mythical creature. These elements are:
Fire - red, south, complete dominance of Yang, Zhucao (or Fenghuang, usually translated as phoenix; it has a snake-like neck and a crest that spreads like sunbeams, with a body patterned like a dragon).
Wood - blue-green, east, partial dominance of Yang, Qinglong (a dragon the color of spring grass, which is blue-green in China; they don't actually have blue and green colors, but rather a blue-green, with shades of which being blue and green).
Earth - yellow, center, equality of Yin and Yang; I don't know the monster for this one.
Metal - white, west, partial dominance of Yin, monster - Baihu, the White Tiger.
Water - black, north, complete dominance of Yin, monster - Xuanwu; originally a turtle coiled with a snake, then Emperor Hui-Zong: "with an important, beautiful face, long hair falling on his shoulders, in a black robe, with a gold chainmail and a belt decorated with jade, with a sword in his hand, barefoot. Above his head is a halo."
The race's ability could be a special Chinese elemental magic, like the dwarves' rune magic. However, something else could work too; it really depends on who the hero is. If the race is Chinese, then ideally the hero should be an official, but he could also be something like a Confucian scholar - a kind of charioteer, shooting with a bow (Confucians considered the ability to shoot with a bow one of the virtues of a noble man).
So, here are some monsters. In general, there are a huge number of them in Chinese mythology; a fundamental decision needs to be made - what kind of troops will this race mainly have? If mainly historical, then the decision is one thing; if mythical, then another; if a syncretic mix, then a third. For now, I would suggest the following:
1. Something like a militia. Just find a Chinese name for infantry, and that's it.
2. Arbalester, then Chu-Ko-Nu (with an ability like the knight archer).
3. Gui - Ancestor Spirit (protects and slightly enhances nearby units).
4. Tiger - White Tiger (gains some Metal element spells).
5. Cannon - something like a Firework Shooter (it should just have a much more impressive attack).
6. Taoist - Immortal (it was believed that the most advanced Taoists could achieve immortality); the Immortal flies (they actually wandered in the winds or in the clouds). All attacks on the Taoist and the Immortal are always unsuccessful; they are always successful (because they have understood the Tao and the inner essence of things, they can predict and always act as effectively as possible in a given situation). It's better to make them melee units.
7. Qinglong (i.e., blue-green dragon) - Yellow Dragon (becomes the Dragon of the Center).
Actually, I have some big doubts about the last level. On the one hand, I want to put a dragon there; on the other hand, the Spirit of the Emperor (in the sense of the ancestor of the emperor) also fits very logically.
С Пути сбивают мелкие достижения, а изощрённые суждения скрывают смысл слов. И вот уже возникают "правильное" и "неправильное"... - Чжуан-цзы Сильванис