Student type entry permit for italian citizen

Hi, we are two girls from Italy who have to do an internship in Shanghai and, in the meantime, we would like to attend a chinese course. We would like to stay there for a minimum of three months.
Which kind of visa would be the best for us? We were oriented to the touristic one, but some agencies told us that from 2013 it is possible to have it only for one month. So we take in cosideration the student type: is that an available option?
We have also read, it is more easy to do it in Hong Kong, what can you suggest to us?

Thank you