Since 2017, the large majority of VPN providers’ websites have been blocked in China. Besides, Google Play doesn’t work either, and the App Store doesn’t let users located in China download any VPN apps.

Because of this, many people find themselves in the conundrum that to purchase a VPN in China, you first need a VPN.

Nonetheless, if you are already in China and need to download or purchase a VPN, there are still ways of doing so. In this article, we will explain how to do it and provide links accessible from China for some VPNs.

All of the VPNs that we mention in this article have good performance in China, but if you want to find out which VPN is best for you, I recommend reading this article first. [Read more…]

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 and apps are blocked by the “Great Firewall.” Among these websites and apps that you can’t access are Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and all Google Services.

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). In addition, most of the services that aren’t blocked but they are allocated outside China, are extremely slow.

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…]

Windscribe

Windscribe is a good option if you look for free VPNs to be used in the Chinese market. It allows you to prevent others from seeing your physical location, get around censorship, and avoid ads and trackers on websites that you visit.

What people like with the application is that it’s flexible with competitive prices. Out of almost 10,000 reviews, Windscribe has a significantly high rating of 4.7/5.0 in Apple Store, which speaks for itself.

However, as mentioned above, if you want to have a VPN that is suitable for China and comes with superior features, you should aim for paid VPNs. You can read more about some of the best VPNs in the article we listed under the section about Tunnelbear. [Read more…]

You probably already know that websites such as Facebook, YouTube or Google are blocked in China and that the best way to access them is with a VPN.

But what about the other hundreds of websites or apps that we use every day?

Can you be sure that they’ll work in China?

One of the most common questions we get is whether a given website or app, such as Dropbox or Google Play, is blocked in China.

In this article, we list all of the popular websites and apps which currently don’t work behind the Great Firewall of China, which is the system developed by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to control access to online services considered “dangerous” for Chinese citizens. [Read more…]

One of the common questions that people going to China will ask themselves is how they can communicate with people outside of the country. The purpose of this article is to present and analyze each of the possibilities for making calls and video calls from China.

As you should already know, a large number of apps and websites can’t be accessed freely in China, and you are going to need a VPN or an alternative system to get around the Great Firewall of China.

Using Skype in China

Despite the fact that some inaccurate news is still circulating online, Skype is NOT blocked in China.

However, if you try to download the Skype app on the iOS app market or one of the Android markets (Google Play is blocked) once you’re in China, you won’t find it. In addition, if you want to access the Skype webpage, you will be redirected to a Chinese webpage (skype.gmw.cn) where you will download a modified version of Skype that complies with Chinese regulations. Complying with Chinese regulations means that communications are redirected (and monitored) via a Skype partner in China.
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On this website, we have talked about the best way to get around the Great Firewall of China on many occasions as well as how to access the internet without restrictions in China.

However, what happens when we want to access the network that exists within the Great Firewall? This article is intended for people who for whatever reason want to access websites located in China without any type of restrictions.

[Read more…]

Created in 2018, Surfshark is definitely one of the most promising VPNs at the moment. Despite not having been around for a long time, Surfshark has a broad network of physical servers across the globe, excellent security and privacy services and a broad offering of extra options, all at a very competitive price. Without a doubt, Surfshark is a premium VPN at the price of a budget one.

For users in China, Surfshark offers excellent connectivity, with services that are similar to those of the most popular VPNs currently used in the country. Without a doubt, Surfshark is an excellent alternative to large VPN providers, especially when you consider that it’s one of the few VPNs that includes the possibility of using Shadowsocks.

Features

Encryption protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN, Shadowsocks, WireGuard®.

Simultaneous connections: Unlimited.

Number of servers and location: Surfshark offers more than 3200 servers in 65 different countries.

Applications: Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, iOS, FireTV, Apple TV, Xbox, Playstation, TrustDNS..

Trial period or guaranteed money back: It offers a free trial period of 7 days and 30 days guaranteed money back.

After-sale service: It has a 24/7 seven customer service system via live chat or email.

Extras: CleanWeb (ads and malware blocker), Whitelister (allows certain applications or websites to ignore the VPN), Kill switch, Multihop (connect to multiple countries at the same time), Camouflage Mode (avoid VPN conection to be detected), NoBorders (avoid geografic restrictions).
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For the past few years, Tinder has been blocked in China. However, using Tinder in China might not be so difficult as you think!

In this article, we give a simple explanation of what you need to unblock Tinder in China, what a VPN is, and what are the best VPNs for accessing any apps blocked in China. Finally, we explain what type of people you can find on Tinder and what alternatives exist in China for dating.

What do you need to access Tinder in China?

1. Internet access: It’s obvious that to access Tinder, you will first need to be connected to the Internet. However, is it difficult to access the Internet in China? As opposed to what some people might think, accessing the Internet in China is relatively easy. [Read more…]

Is it possible to access WhatsApp in China? Despite the fact that since September 2017, China has been blocking video calls, messages, and file transfers on the app, it’s still possible to access WhatsApp in China.

In this article, we will give you a step-by-step explanation of how to use WhatsApp in China.

What do you need to use WhatsApp in China?

Using WhatsApp in China is relatively simple and you will only need two things:

1. An Internet connection

It’s obvious that to be able to use WhatsApp, you will need to be connected to the Internet. As I explain below, connecting to the Internet in China is relatively easy. [Read more…]

As you most likely already know, YouTube is blocked in China, but is it still possible to access YouTube in the country?

Despite the fact that YouTube has been restricted for use by Chinese users since March 2009, it is still possible to access YouTube to watch videos in China. In this article, we’ll give a step-by-step explanation of how to use YouTube in China.

[Read more…]

Does ExpressVPN still work in China? The short answer is “YES”!

This article is a complete review and a study of the functionality of ExpressVPN in China, which in our opinion, is one of the best VPNs currently on the market.

If you still don’t know what a VPN is, just go till the end of this article to learn more.

Why ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for China

We have been using and testing a multitude of VPNs for more than ten years as a way of getting around the Great Firewall of China, which as you know, limits access to innumerable websites and apps, such as Google, WhatsApp, Facebook or Twitter.

Very few VPNs are capable of offering acceptable performance in China, and among the few that currently work, ExpressVPN has shown itself to be one of the most reliable and quickest.

We have been using ExpressVPN in China since 2014, and during this entire time, it has always been a surefire way to continue to access the Internet without restrictions.

[Read more…]

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 started, millions of people worldwide have been forced to leave their offices and work from home. Along with this, we see more people that talk about the cybersecurity risks of working from home.

The issue here is that your computer is normally protected by a safe and reliable server in an office. However, working from home reduces your protection significantly. Data theft and network hacking are just examples of cyber attacks that could have a devastating impact on your company.

In this article, we explain some of the greatest cybersecurity risks and how you can protect yourself from these risks. If you have any comments or input, feel free to drop a message below.

[Read more…]

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…]

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…]

How to access geographically restricted content

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This article aims to explain in a simple and clear way what VPNs, proxies and Tor are, as well as the differences between them. The article is intended to be understandable for any person, and because of this, it may contain oversimplifications and opinions.

Currently, these three systems have three main uses:

• To avoid internet censorship: As you already know, there exist certain countries with restrictions on internet use. The most famous of them are China and Iran, although internet restrictions are present in many other countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Russia. For example, YouTube is blocked in at least 10 countries. While these three systems may allow you to avoid restrictions on certain web sites (such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), in practice, VPNs are the most reliable system for getting around restrictions to date.

• To unblock websites with geographic restrictions: Another common use for these systems is to unblock content which is geographically restricted, and mainly video content (such as television programs, series or podcasts). For example, they are used to watch series and movies on Netflix when you are in a country in which it does not exist or if you prefer to use the Netflix from another country. While a VPN, proxy or Tor can be used to unblock this content, currently only good VPN providers and certain proxies are able to offer browsing speeds compatible with streaming.

• To improve internet security: A lot of people use these systems to avoid having their banking or personal information robbed by third parties, especially when they connect via public networks (a risk that is getting exponentially larger). However, despite what people think, proxies and Tor do not improve internet security whatsoever (sometimes even the opposite). Only VPNs with good encryption protocols improve the security of your connection.

Important: Not all VPN services are the same. If you want to know what the best three VPN providers are in our opinion, click here.
[Read more…]