When travelling in China, I always use a VPN (Surf Bouncer). The ‘Great Firewall of China’ generally slows things down, blocks sites and leaves data unprotected. I find with a VPN downloads are generally faster, they are secure for banking, access of Facebook, YouTube, Blogspot etc., and have never had an issue using Skype.

I would also recommend using a headset with Skype instead the laptops built in speakers and microphone. This allows more privacy and better sound quality.