Neither tourist nor business trip - what kind of visa?

This is a great service - thank you. I plan to go to both Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. I am going on behalf of my company (in order to get to know China), but I shall not be visiting any business partners. Thus:
Q1) do a apply for a L tourist L or do I need a M business(previously F)?
Q2) do I need an invitation for respectively a L tourist (from whom) and a M business (from whom)?
- in Russia one can obtain an invitation from the hotel, is that also possible for there?
Q3) do I need both ones for mainland and also for Hong Kong - or only one for mainland?
Appreciate your answers enormously. Thank you for your immediate attention.