Nepal visit with transit through China

We are flying from USA to Nepal through China. We fly into Beijing, have a 22 hour layover. Then take a flight from Beijing to Guangzhou, then fly from Guangzhou to Nepal. Total time in China is 28. Do we qualify for the 72-hour free transit ? If not, would this itinerary qualify for the 24 hour free transit if we could arrange to have a shorter layover so that we are less than 24-hours in China?