Can I use 144 hour visa for 2 night stay in Shanghai before going on a cruise ?

My wife and I are UK citizens and have full UK Passports, we fly from UK to Shanghai with one transit stop at Doha where we get on a connecting flight to Shanghai.
We are then staying in an hotel Shanghai for 2 nights after which we join a cruise ship which leaves Shanghai and goes directly to Nagasaki in Japan, and other locations including Hong Kong and the cruise ends in Singapore.

Are we able to obtain and use a 144 hour free transit for the 2 nights in Shanghai ? and would we need a visa for Hong Kong ?