The West Lake in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou

The divinity of the second half of China's "heaven on Earth" is sanctified by its celebrated gardens, Grand Canal and West Lake.

Another local saying goes: "You haven't been to Hangzhou if you haven't seen West Lake". Monasteries and museums squish against pavilions and plantations along its banks.

Tea remains the lifeblood of local lifestyles in Zhejiang's provincial capital. Teahouses are the heart that pumps vitality into the body of the city's culture.

Longjing (dragon-well) brews are poured from pots with extremely elongated spouts by hosts who seem to perform martial arts to refill your cup.

A modern pitch for the city says: "Give us a day. We'll give you a thousand years."

Perhaps true. But that can likely be said of many Yangtze Delta settlements.

Hence, the new rules may enable visitors to enjoy six millennia in as many days.

New rules

Under the 144-hour visa-free policy that took effect Saturday, travelers from the 51 approved countries must have tickets and visas to a third country, other than the one from which they arrived.

They're free to travel throughout Shanghai, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces but not outside their borders.

They must enter and exit China through Shanghai's airports, Jiangsu's Nanjing Lukou International Airport or Zhejiang's Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.