144 hour visa excemption

We are flying from Brisbane to Shanghai (with Cathay Pacific airlines) with a stop of an hour in Hong Kong.
After four nights in Shanghai we are then boarding a cruise ship, first stop is South Korea. We don't intend to go outside the Shanghai area. Are we able to take advantage of the 144 hour free transit exempt? Our concern is the stop in Hong Kong (transit) on the way over to Shanghai.