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 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…]

This article is based on our years of experience using VPNs in China, where the Great Firewall severely restricts normal Internet use.

What is a VPN and why would I need one?

A Virtual Private Network – or VPN – allows you to send and receive data over the internet as if you were directly connected to a private network. However, we don’t need to go into the technical details. Below, you will find the main uses of a VPN:

• Getting around internet censorship in China, Iran, Vietnam or other countries that restrict access to a part of the internet.
• Sending sensitive information (like banking information) over an encrypted connection. This is very important if you connect to public networks.
• Access to services that are only available in some countries, such as accessing the local catalog of streaming platforms such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer or Amazon Prime Video.
• Creating your own VPN allows your employees to access your company’s private network, even if they are not physically connected to it.

[Read more…]

Many platforms for live streaming television, films, or series have geographic restrictions and don’t offer all of their content in every country, especially in China. This is the case with Netflix, HBO Go, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Sky Go, and BBC iPlayer, among many more.

Using a VPN is usually the best solution to be able to enjoy these platforms without restrictions.

However, many of these platforms have started to detect and block users using proxies and VPNs.

How to access geographically restricted content

[Read more…]

Getting Internet access in China is easier than it may seem, but there is important information that you should know. The purpose of this article is to help you choose the best company for your home or phone. In the end, you will find a section on travelers.

Basic information on the internet in China

• In China many websites and apps are blocked: Access to Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube is restricted in China. Click here to find out how to solve this problem.
• Internet in China can be extremely slow: Because of the filters and the blocking system, when you go to non-chinese websites, browsing becomes tedious due to the slow speed. If you only want to visit Chinese websites most internet connections work pretty fine though.

[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…]

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.

Summary of the article

• Problem: Browsing Chinese websites outside of the country is extremely slow and some content is restricted (for example videos and streaming on Bilibili, Youku, ManguoTV, iQiy, or PPTV)
• Reason: The Great Firewall and geographic restrictions (copyright laws)
• The best way to resolve this: A VPN with servers in China
• What VPN do we recommend: Transocks, VPN Area and Hide My Ass are to date the best VPNs that we have found for accessing the Chinanet.
• Who do we recommend using a VPN with servers in China?: People of Chinese origin who live outside of the country, Mandarin students, and people who due to their job or for other reasons need access to resources hosted in China.

[Read more…]

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…]

At the present moment, you can find several free VPNs on the market. However, most of them have very low performance and/or can be a serious risk to your device’s security.

Here you will find some of the few free VPNs that normally work in China and are safe for your device. Anyway, if you want to free access to the internet while in China I suggest you go for a premium VPN to avoid surprises.

PrivadoVPN

Released in 2019 PrivadoVPN is a quite new actor in the competitive world of VPNs. However, in this short time managed to offer a complete featured service at a very competitive price. Without any doubt, a VPN to take into account.

Features

1. Free Plan: 10GB/month (limited number of servers)
2. Encryption Protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard
3. Simultaneous connections: 10 connections
4. Server count and locations: Fisical servers in 60 locations over 47 countries
5. Shadowsocks: PrivadoVPN offers SOCKS5 proxy ideal to get fast speeds in China and avoid the Great Firewall at the same time.
6. Money back garantee: 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
7. Extra options: Split Tunneling, Auto Connect and Kill Switch

What I like the most about PrivadoVPN

• Free: The free plan is really generous and lets you have a taste of the potential of this VPN service. For limited uses might be enough.
• WireGuard® protocol: A relative new VPN protocol really secure, fast and effective to avoid regional internet restrictions.
• SOCKS5 proxy: PrivadoVPN is one of the few providers that offers SOCKS5 also known as Shadowsocks (only in the paid plan), an effective way of hiding your real IP and surpassing country restrictions like the ones in China. However, is less secure than using a VPN and your privacy is not guaranteed.
• Paid plans: The paid plans are quite cheap considering the features of this VPN.

What I like the least about PrivadoVPN.

• Speed: Most of the speed tests realized showed that PrivadoVPN’s performance can’t match the ones from premium VPNs such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
• Apps: Some users complain about some annoying bugs in their Apps.
• Privacy Policy: PrivadoVPN offers a comprehensive privacy policy section. However, a third-party audit might be needed to ensure what private data they get and how they use it.

• 1 Month Plan: 7.99 USD / month
• 1 Year Plan: 4.99 USD / month (59.88 USD a year)

How much does it cost and what option should I choose?

PrivadoVPN offers 10GB a month of free use, but if you want to get unlimited use and all its features like Shadowsocks, you will have to acquire a paid plan:

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 about 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…]

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.
[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).
[Read more…]

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.

1. What do you need to use WhatsApp in China?
2. What is a VPN?
3. What VPN do we recommend for China?
4. What to prepare before going to China
5. What to do to use WhatsApp once in China
6. Alternatives to WhatsApp in China
7. Frequently asked questions

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…]

is it still possible to access YouTube in China?

As you most likely already know, since March 2009 YouTube has been blocked in China, but if you know how, 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.

1. What do you need to access YouTube in China?
2. What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
3. What VPN do we recommend in China?
4. Suggestions for unblocking YouTube in China
5. Alternatives to YouTube in China
6. Frequently asked questions

[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…]