Originally Posted by
rkkwan
All the Chinese embassy/consulate websites state you cannot leave the airport with the 24-hour visa-free transit (not including Shanghai). Of course, I don't see how they can enforce it. Still, if something happens to the traveler outside the airport, there may be consequences.
You absolutely can leave the airport; we've had several threads about this in recent months, and the verdict is unambiguous. For more information, run a search for timatic + China.