Hello!
I am planning on leaving my 9-5 to begin life as a digital nomad, staying in countries for a month at a time.
I am really excited to spend time travelling in China but the problem is that I am not sure when I am going to be going. It could very likely not be for another 8 months after I leave. So if I am travelling in Asia and decide that I would like to now go to China, can I still obtain at a visa while I am abroad, or do I need to do it in the UK where I am from?
You can still obtain it at a Chinese embassy somewhere else. I don’t have any personal experiences, but visa runs to Seoul or Hong Kong were very popular back in the days and I know from someone online who recently obtained his visa in India while on a sabbatical.
If you have the time before you leave, I’d definitely recommend using an agent to get a two year multiple entry tourist visa - I used Visa Genie in the UK and it really streamlined the process for me 
It might be possible to get a tourist visa in other countries, but rules can change on whether or not you need to be a resident of that country etc, so definitely safer to try and get it before you go.
Another factor is how long you’d like to stay - major cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Chongqing offer transit visas, meaning you could spend a few days there before moving on to another country. Which, depending on the nature of your work, could be the least disruptive option if there are VPN issues 
I did exactly the same and echo Hannah’s thoughts. Much easier when in your home country.
It’ll be do-able abroad but likely more awkward.
Brits are lucky with a 2 year multi-entry visa. Try and get that