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The Best VPN for China Still Working in April 2020 (with Comparison Table)

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Best VPN for China

Best VPN for China in 2020

  1. What VPN do we recommend for China
  2. What is a VPN?
  3. Advice for using a VPN in China
  4. How to choose a VPN for China
  5. The best VPNs for China (comparative table)
  6. The most popular VPNs in China (review)
  7. The most commonly used VPNs in China (survey)
  8. Using a VPN in China (frequently asked questions)

What VPN do we recommend for China?

  • ExpressVPN: Easy to use, fast and it has proven to be one of the most reliable VPNs for China over the past years.
  • VyprVPN: Excellent quality to price ratio, good performance in China and numerous options for a secure connection.
  • NordVPN: Very complete and easy to use. It has a good performance in China if you choose the right server.
  • Ivacy: Less popular in China, but has an excellent performance at a very low price.

Important: Due to the increased restrictions on internet usage in China, you should always keep your VPN updated to make sure it works at its best.

What is a VPN and why do I need one in China?

As you probably already know, the internet doesn’t work like we would like it to in China and a large number of websites are blocked by the “Great Firewall.” Among the websites that you can’t access there are Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and Google+.

There are many other blocked websites, and depending on what you do, it may be virtually impossible for you to work in China without a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The most striking case is probably that of Google.com, which often returns an error message when used from within the Middle Kingdom.

To solve this problem, you can install a VPN, which masks your I.P. address so that your laptop appears to be connected from the U.S. or Japan even if you are in China [Read more…]

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Swapsy – How to Transfer Money When in China

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swapsy

The guide to Swapsy – Index

  1. What is Swapsy?
  2. How to configure Swapsy?
  3. How does Swapsy work?
  4. Which currencies can be transferred with Swapsy?
  5. Which forms of payment are accepted by Swapsy?
  6. Can I use Swapsy if I have a European bank account?
  7. Is Swapsy safe?
  8. How much money can be transferred with Swapsy?
  9. How much does Swapsy cost?
  10. Comparison with Trasferwise
  11. Swapsy’s limitations

At times, living in China can be more costly than you might think, and always requires a certain amount of money. Unless you have a fixed income such as a scholarship (for foreign students), a salary (for foreign workers) or if that’s simply not enough, you’ll need to turn to the savings that are resting comfortably in your home country. Or (I wish you the best with it), you’ll need to transfer the money you have in China directly to your home account.

In the majority of cases, trying to transfer money from China abroad can be very frustrating because you’ll have to deal with a large number of limitations imposed by the government, endless questions about where the money came from and the eventual taxes you’ll have to pay, added commissions and long lines at the bank.

The inverse process can at times be just as complex and/or costly, especially if you withdraw money from a Chinese ATM with a card not belonging to a Chinese circuit.

Besides the methods that you perhaps already know (such as TransferWise, for example) there’s also Swapsy, a money-transfer P2P service.

In this short guide I will explain what Swapsy is, how it works, and other bits of useful information about this new platform.

[Read more…]

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Best SEO Strategies for Baidu: Our Complete Guide

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Best SEO Strategies for Baidu

Best SEO Strategies for Baidu – Index

  1. SEO Strategies for Baidu
  2. Don’t use Google Translate when doing keyword research
  3. Difference among Baidu and Google

Google was blocked in China in March 2009 and foreigners and locals must download a VPN to be able to use it. To many people’s surprise, Baidu was founded as early as 2000, but it has grown massively since Google lost a great deal of traffic to its main competitor.

If you plan to enter the Chinese market and sell online, you have to create a Chinese website that is optimized to rank well on Baidu. In this article, we explain some SEO strategies that are important to rank on Baidu, the difference between Google and Baidu, and more. Let’s get started.

[Read more…]

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Hosting, Domain Registration, and CDN for China

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Hosting for China

Hosting, Domain Registration, and CDN – Index

  1. Domain Registration for China
  2. Hosting for China
  3. CDN for China

Foreigners who are serious about entering the Chinese market should carefully study what measures they can take to improve Baidu SEO. You see, Google has been blocked since 2009 and Baidu is by far the most popular search engine among the Chinese.

Three of the most important things that impact Baidu SEO are your:

  • Domain Registration
  • Servers / Hosting
  • CDN (Content Delivery Network)

Even if many experts claim that a .cn domain doesn’t necessarily improve your rankings on Baidu.com there are some benefits of using a .cn domain.

First of all, by using a .cn domain, you indicate that you target the Chinese audience. As you don’t need a Chinese business license to register a .cn domain, for now, it can be worthwhile taking the opportunity while it’s possible.

Besides, Baidu is also known for giving priority based on your server location. The reason is that it’s primarily used in the Chinese market, giving benefits to practically anything Chinese.

Lastly, I also want to mention that it can be worth using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) if you want to rank high on Baidu. This is especially the case if you have trouble with slow site speeds in China. A CDN will help you, not only to improve the site speeds but add security.

In this article, we will review different service providers who can help you with domain registrations, hosting, and CDN services in China.

[Read more…]

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The Best Chinese Apps for Music, TV Series and Movies

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The Best Chinese Apps

Have you ever wondered which are the best Chinese apps to use on your smartphone or tablet, to listen to music, watch movies or streaming TV series, and practice your Chinese between one work break and another or while you’re on the subway?

In this article I will propose a list of apps to you that I usually use during my daily life, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each.

NB: All these apps, once you’ve paid for the first month’s subscription, follow the zidong xufei 自动续费 (automatic renewal) formula, which you can easily deactivate by clicking on the app’s settings, otherwise the preestablished charges will be withdrawn from your account each month with one day’s notice via WeChat Pay or Alipay. [Read more…]

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What Are the Best VPN for in China in 2020?

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Best vpn for china

Today, using a VPN is the best way to access websites and use applications that are blocked in China. After more than 10 years using and testing out different VPNs in China, this article is the product of our experience.

Our selection of the best VPNs for China in 2020

  • ExpressVPN: This is the VPN that we usually recommend for the majority of users. It’s fast, stable, easy to use and has demonstrated that it has been one of the most reliable VPNs over the past years.
  • VyprVPN: A premium VPN with excellent services in China at a very reasonable price. We recommended it for people who are looking for security for their connection.
  • NordVPN: Very easy-to-use VPN with excellent services in China. It’s the best choice for people who want a dedicated IP address.
  • Ivacy: The fact that this VPN is less popular, has a low price and good services in China make it perfect as a backup in the event that the more popular VPNs encounter problems.

[Read more…]

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How to Get a UnionPay Card Without a Chinese Bank Account

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How to Get a UnionPay Card Without a Chinese Bank Account

How to Get a UnionPay Card – Index

  1. What is UnionPay?
  2. Why is it useful to have a UnionPay card in China?
  3. Available UnionPay prepaid cards providers
  4. Should I apply for a prepaid UnionPay card?

Along with the digitization and the ongoing process of making China into a cashless society, foreign travelers find it more difficult to manage payments there. Nowadays, most Chinese use online applications such as AliPay and WeChat, or pay by UnionPay credit and debit cards.

Previously, it was impossible for foreigners to apply for UnionPay cards as this requires that you have a Chinese bank account. However, several foreign payment service providers have started to offer prepaid UnionPay cards to foreigners recently. We will review each one of them in greater detail in this article.

First, let’s start and review what UnionPay is and why it’s become so important in the past years.

[Read more…]

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The 14 Most Useful Apps for Traveling in Hong Kong

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Apps for Traveling in Hong Kong

Travel Apps for Hong Kong – Index

  1. Google Maps
  2. Uber
  3. My Hong Kong Guide
  4. XE Currency and Transferwise
  5. Agoda, Booking, and Airbnb
  6. OpenRice Hong Kong
  7. HKG MyFlight
  8. Toilet Rush
  9. Hong Kong Disneyland
  10. Citymapper
  11. csl Wi-Fi
  12. Cantonese by Nemo
  13. Deliveroo
  14. Chope Restaurant Reservations

Will you travel to Hong Kong and want to download some of the most useful applications beforehand?

Even if many young and middle-aged people speak English in Hong Kong, you’ll come across areas where speaking Cantonese is the only mean of communication. Downloading a handful of applications can help you to avoid getting lost and to save time and money.

In this article, we list some of the most popular and widely used apps in Hong Kong, not only among travelers but also locals. If you have any recommendations of useful apps not listed below, feel free to drop a comment after the article!

[Read more…]

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The 13 Most Useful Apps for Traveling in Taiwan

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Apps for Traveling in Taiwan

Apps for Traveling in Taiwan – Index

  1. Google Maps
  2. Uber
  3. GO! Taipei Metro
  4. Tour Taiwan
  5. KKday
  6. Line
  7. Pleco
  8. FunNow
  9. YouBike
  10. Taiwan Weather
  11. Travel Taipei
  12. Taiwan GuideWithMe
  13. Agoda, Booking, and Airbnb

Do you plan to travel to Taiwan and want to download a handful of useful applications? In this article, we list some of the best applications that are widely used among locals and travelers alike.

You can save a great deal of time, energy, and money if you download a handful of these applications and start using them from day one.

The applications listed are available both for the Android operating system (on Google Play) and iOS (the Apple Store). If you have any other recommendations of applications that should be of interest to travelers, feel free to write a comment below.

Let’s start with probably the most important application.

[Read more…]

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Bike Sharing in China: The Complete Guide

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A well-parked Mobike Light

They invaded China, and now they’re invading the world, nation after nation. In Europe they have already arrived. They are yellow or orange, green or blue, and have pedals and two wheels: bike sharing, is the green answer that has arrived directly from China for getting around the city. Specifically, in Italy the first to arrive are Ofo and Mobike, but they’re not the only ones made in China.

In fact, since they do things big in China, they’ve moved on from taking advantage of carbon mines to a wild bicycle movement with unfair competition at times, to the last seat.

The idea, although it has been realized with exponential numbers that have grossly crowded up the sidewalks of their respective cities, was to bridge the gap in the lack of public transportation in an ecological way: which it does, in fact, in those cases where your destination is too far away to walk, but not so far as to call a taxi and then have to wait for it.

It is for that last mile to cross, from your door to the metro, from the office to the bus station, that Mobike, Ofo, Hellobike, Bluegogo, Yongxiang, Xiaoming, Yubike and many, many others have come.

The situation, it must be said, is a little complex and rapidly evolving: in fact the dominance of Ofo and Mobike, the respective properties of Alibaba and Tencent, has made it so that smaller private companies are slowly disappearing from circulation. So I will limit this to describing in detail the two leading companies.

So here’s the complete guide for how to stay up to date with shared bicycles in Europe, but especially, on your next trip to China. [Read more…]

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Alternatives to VPN In China: The Complete Guide

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Alternatives to VPN In China

Starting around a decade ago, China has blocked numerous foreign websites and applications to assure ‘national stability’. Things turned for the worse in 2017 when the cybersecurity law was issued.

In short, the government required network operators to store data in China, at the same time as Chinese authorities can do spot-checks on companies’ network operations. Over the years, increasingly more people use VPNs, which is the most common and effective way to bypass the Great Wall.

However, we’ve also seen that many popular VPNs have suffered from disruptions recently and there are even rumors that VPNs will be blocked entirely in China. Therefore, I’ve written this article and where I present alternative options to VPNs in China.

Alternatives to VPN in China

There aren’t that many options available that can replace VPNs. The Great Firewall gets smarter each year and the Chinese government introduces new laws that make it more difficult to surf the net without restrictions.

Having said that, two options help foreigners to freely surf the internet, namely:

Let’s start and review how it works when using a Hong Kong SIM card in Mainland China. [Read more…]

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How to Rent a Phone in China: The Complete Guide

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Renting a Phone in China

Renting a Phone in China – Index

  1. Why should I rent a phone before going to China?
  2. Which service provider should I use?
  3. Step-by-step process to rent a phone in China
  4. How much does it cost to rent a phone for China?
  5. What happens if I lose my rental phone while in China?
  6. Can I add a US number to the rental-phone?
  7. Can I use all my applications with the rental phone?
  8. Final notes + Discount code

Do you need to rent a phone in China? Click here and use de coupon sapore10 to get a 10USD discount

As strange as it may sound, renting a phone in China brings many benefits and is an excellent option to avoid unexpected problems. Travelers and business people alike sometimes come across issues that make their phones useless in China.

In this article, I explain why you should consider renting a phone in China, which service provider we recommend, how the process is when renting a phone, how much it costs, and more. Let’s start and review what the benefits are of renting a phone.
[Read more…]

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Paying by smartphone in China: The Guide for Wechat and Alipay

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Paying by smartphone in China

Paying by smartphone in China – Index

  1. WeChat Pay and Alipay: what are they?
  2. Initial settings
  3. How to make payments with Wechat
  4. How to make payments with Alipay
  5. Receiving and sending money with WeChat
  6. Receiving and sending money with Alipay
  7. Sending red envelopes (hongbao 红包) with WeChat
  8. Sending red envelopes (hongbao 红包) with Alipay
  9. Can foreigners use WeChat Pay and Alipay?

Technology today offers users numerous advantages and conveniences that make our daily life simpler and saves us precious time.

In this context, China has already for many years offered its citizens and others the chance to witness and be protagonists in an actual payment revolution thanks to mobile apps like WeChat (Weixin 微信) and Alipay (Zhifubao 支付宝).

These include the most widespread method of payment in China for any type of commercial activity: restaurants, taxis, supermarkets, cinemas, shopping, waimai (home food delivery), trains, planes, hotel, bike rentals, bills, telephone recharging, etc.

The convenience of the revolution brought about by these applications allows users to make less cash or credit/debit card payments, and as a result accelerate the buying process in a totally safe and quick way.

In this guide I will show you the characteristics of payments made through WeChat and Alipay; in particular, we’ll see how to choose the initial settings, what are the ways to make payments, how to send and receive money, how the famous hongbao (红包 or “red envelopes”) work, and how it’s possible to use these Apps with foreign credit cards (not issued by Chinese banks).

[Read more…]

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Top 12 Chinese Social Media and Blog Platforms

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Chinese social media and blog platforms

Chinese Social Media – Index

  1. WeChat
  2. Sina Weibo (新浪微博)
  3. Douyin (抖音)
  4. QQ
  5. Youku (优酷)
  6. Douban (豆瓣)
  7. Zhihu (知乎)
  8. Tencent Video (腾讯视频)
  9. Xiaohongshu (小红书)
  10. Meituan-Dianping (美团点评)
  11. Momo
  12. iQiyi (爱奇艺)

1. WeChat

WeChat was launched by Tencent in 2011, one of China’s biggest IT companies. It initially started as a messaging app but has added many functions since and is now referred to as a “multi-purpose” app.

Being used by more than 1 billion people, it’s the third most downloaded application in the world, just behind Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. It’s kind of self-explanatory why this application deserves a spot on this list. [Read more…]

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The Best VPNs for Thailand: Security, Censorship and Geographic Restrictions

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Best VPNs for Thailand

This article is aimed at analyzing the internet in Thailand and comparing the best VPNs that you can use to improve security as well as to avoid geographic restrictions and censorship.

Best VPNs for Thailand – Index

  1. Why do I need a VPN in Thailand?
  2. Comparison of the Best VPNs for Thailand
  3. What VPN to choose depending on your priorities
  4. Internet security in Thailand
  5. Internet censorship in Thailand

Why do I need a VPN in Thailand?

There are multiple reasons to get a VPN when you are living or traveling in Thailand. Below are the most common reasons.

  • To browse securely: Access to the internet in Thailand, just like in many Asian countries, is not exactly secure. A good VPN increases internet security and greatly reduces the possible risks involved in connecting to public networks in this country (such as having your credit card cloned or your email hacked).
  • To avoid censorship: Censorship exists in Thailand, and if you want free access to the internet, the best way is to get a VPN
  • To unblock restricted content: To access the content of websites like Netflix, Hulu or restricted audiovisual content and TV channels in your country, your best option is always get a good quality VPN.

[Read more…]

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The Best VPNs for Vietnam: Security and Freedom Online

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Best VPNs for Vietnam

Best VPNs for Vietnam – Index

  1. How can I access blocked websites in Vietnam?
  2. What is a VPN?
  3. Why do I need a VPN in Vietnam?
  4. Comparison of the Best VPNs for Vietnam
  5. Is it safe to connect to the Internet in Vietnam?
  6. What websites are blocked in Vietnam?

Security online is one of the things that we should start to keep in mind, especially when we are traveling or moving to another country. Another thing that we should keep in mind is whether access to the Internet is restricted or not.

In Vietnam, there exist multiple cybernetic laws which are theoretically aimed at preventing information leaks, promoting security in the interchange of information, and permitting secure transactions. However, these laws have mainly been used to block, filter or monitor the use of the Internet in the country. Many websites in Vietnam are blocked or have restricted use, including sites as popular as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, the BBC, and WordPress, following the lead of countries such as China.

Despite this, recent reports indicate that Vietnam is among the countries with the highest risk in the world for cybernetic attacks along with Thailand.

How can I access Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and other blocked websites in Vietnam?

To improve security online and to avoid potential restrictions on access to certain websites, one of the most useful tools is the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), as you will see in the following sections.

Click here if you want to skip directly to the comparison of the best VPNs!

[Read more…]

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Virtual Phone Numbers: The Best Way to Receive Calls in China

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virtual phone number in china

Click here to skip directly to our comparison of
virtual telephone numbers!

Virtual phone numbers – Index

  1. What is a virtual phone number?
  2. Why you may need a virtual phone number
  3. How does it works?
  4. Comparison of the best virtual telephone number services
  5. Reviews of virtual phone services
  6. Frequently asked questions

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual number is a phone number that isn’t associated with any physical phone line: all the incoming calls are redirected to another number (for instance your mobile number)

Why you may need a virtual phone number

Have you ever used a roaming service while you were abroad? I did it when I just arrived in China and I ended up paying a huge amount of money (at the time my family needed to contact me quite frequently and I was often offline). After the first crazy expensive bill I decided to find a solution to this problem. This is how I stumbled upon virtual numbers.

Using a virtual number to redirect calls from a local number in your country to your Chinese mobile number is probably the best option to receive calls in China or wherever you are. It’s cheap and you won’t have to teach your grandma to use Skype!
[Read more…]

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How to Access Google in China (and all Google Services)

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Unblocking Google in China

Since 2012, Google and all of its services (such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps and Google Play) have been blocked and are not accessible to users located in Mainland China. However, is it possible to access Google from China?

Accessing Google from China is possible and even easy. In this article, we will give a step-by-step explanation of how to access Google and any other Internet service that is blocked in China.

What Google services are blocked in China?

Here a non-exhaustive list of Google services and products that are blocked in China:

  • Google search engine (text and voice)
  • Youtube
  • Gmail
  • Google Images
  • Google Maps
  • G Suite (including Google Docs and Google Sheets)
  • Google Drive
  • ReCAPTCHA

There are however some exceptions, that is Google services that still work in China, such a Google Chrome, and Android operative system, even if with some severe limitations (for instance Google Play is blocked).

What do you need to access Google in China?

To access Google and all of its services, basically you will need two things:

A standard Internet connection

It’s obvious that to access Google or any other website, you will first need to connect to the Internet, either through a data connection from your cell phone or by connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Keep on reading to find out how to connect to the Internet in China.

A system to get around the Great Firewall of China

The so-called Great Firewall of China is a series of measures applied by the Chinese authorities to prevent access to a variety of foreign websites. Even so, there are multiple ways of getting around this blockage. Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are the most popular and effective system for getting around Internet use restrictions in China.
[Read more…]

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How to Access TikTok from China – The complete guide

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How to Access TikTok from China

Well yes, even though TikTok is a 100% Chinese app (the “original” name is Douyin, 抖音), it is blocked in China.

Let me explain: TikTok has two versions, one exclusively for use in China, and one for the rest of the world.

If you find yourself in China you can download and use the Chinese version, Douyin without a problem, but it is in no way interconnected with the international version, which you won’t be able to download.

The reason is that Chinese laws are very different, so the company that owns Douyin and TikTok thought well about resolving the problem like this.

So, if you already have a TikTok account before arriving in China, once you enter the country it will no longer work. You can open a new account with the Chinese version, but you’ll be given a completely new account, and even your feeds will be different.

But all is not lost…

How do I access the international version of TikTok from China?

[Read more…]