Collect baggage?

I am flying from USA to Australia and I have a relatively short layover in shanghai (6-7 hours). As long as my airline is willing to do so, is it permissible for Chinese visa purposes to check my bags all the way to Australia, so that I don't have to collect and re-check my bags during the layover in shanghai. It would be nice to go into Shanghai for a few hours without having to worry about my bags, but if there are visa restrictions requiring me to collect my baggage before leaving the airport I would need to know ahead of time. Thanks!