Well, if there is a saving grace, you will get some time to enjoy Beijing in both directions. I used to take that flight when I was dating a lady in Hiroshima (and living in Beijing myself). Back then, we cleared customs in Beijing, and used a special cordoned off "gate". Basically, in spite of the cheap fares, I ended up switching to Asiana in relatively short order. From Shanghai, we have a nonstop flight, and I think HK does as well.