May 24, 2019, 11:11 am
Last edit by: moondog
If you want to use sites like Google, FB, and Twitter in China, you need a means to bypass government imposed blocks.
Roaming on your home country's network works like a charm, but this can be slow and/or expensive.
Most of us use VPNs or Shadowsocks (the latter requires a bit more legwork because you need to find, and pay for, a good server on your own you want good results).
While this topic is not illegal, we have definitely noticed that over plugging solutions that work well often results in diminished performance (because this makes them targets).
As such, my hope is that we can refrain from using buzzwords or complete company names in this thread. By way of example, "E" is impossible to catch via search, while the company name is easy.
Roaming on your home country's network works like a charm, but this can be slow and/or expensive.
Most of us use VPNs or Shadowsocks (the latter requires a bit more legwork because you need to find, and pay for, a good server on your own you want good results).
While this topic is not illegal, we have definitely noticed that over plugging solutions that work well often results in diminished performance (because this makes them targets).
As such, my hope is that we can refrain from using buzzwords or complete company names in this thread. By way of example, "E" is impossible to catch via search, while the company name is easy.
Best and Fast VPN for China ?
Mar 5, 2019, 10:27 pm
#76
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: LON
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 486
I have an HK sim from CSL that supposedly works in China. I'll check next month and report back but data is reasonably cheap from them and I don't use Facebook at all and Google only for the search so I see the HK sim as more of a time saving than a firewall bypass. I do have VPN for work email etc though.
Mar 5, 2019, 11:40 pm
#77
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: CX MPC DM
Posts: 416
I've used an HK SIM for a year now from China Mobile HK with a contract, not pay as you go. Mine supports data roaming in greater bay area - HK, Macau, Guandong. It's not cheap, 218 HKD per month for 6GB, but it's very fast and reliable. It's been working fine with no restrictions this past week. The contract supports an additional mainland mobile number but apparently I can't activate because I lack a residence permit.
Mar 6, 2019, 1:54 am
#78
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
Programs: CX, DL, Nexus/GE, APEC
Posts: 10,684
Was in GZ and SZ on business last week, Exp was not working.
I have 3HK Greater China plan so I used those GBs to tether out of the GFW.
I believe that if you are in China enough you should have at least one backup plan to keep in touch outside the GFW.
I have 3HK Greater China plan so I used those GBs to tether out of the GFW.
I believe that if you are in China enough you should have at least one backup plan to keep in touch outside the GFW.
Mar 6, 2019, 6:12 pm
#79
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 2
Express VPN in Guangdong area, China last week
I was in HongKong and Shenzhen ( Guangdong area, China) last week. Before I went I chat to their operator and they suggested a few of their points to connect when I am there. Namely HK4, HK5, Japan and LA. I saved them as my favourite and had no problems with FB and Gmail.
Just chat with them and they can assists you. I was really frustrated with not being able to receive Gmail when I am in China before.
Hope this helps.
Just chat with them and they can assists you. I was really frustrated with not being able to receive Gmail when I am in China before.
Hope this helps.
Mar 9, 2019, 6:53 pm
#82
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MAD/LAX/MNL/PIT
Programs: DL DM, PR, TG, UA, CX (Asia Miles), BT, AY, AA
Posts: 906
This hasn't been asked yet but I might as well: which VPN works best with MU's in-flight Wi-Fi?
I'm planning several long-hauls on MU and it would be great if I can get some work done on the plane, which would save me from having to use my vacation days. Unfortunately, the nature of my work (I work for a website which the GFW blocks) requires me to use a VPN while in China, and while I'm fine using mobile data roaming, an option for me to work in-air would be really helpful.
I'm planning several long-hauls on MU and it would be great if I can get some work done on the plane, which would save me from having to use my vacation days. Unfortunately, the nature of my work (I work for a website which the GFW blocks) requires me to use a VPN while in China, and while I'm fine using mobile data roaming, an option for me to work in-air would be really helpful.
Mar 17, 2019, 4:44 pm
#83
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, Park City, UT
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Plat, Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat
Posts: 901
What does China block? VPNs illegal there?
I'm sure this has been discussed but maybe having the information in this thread would be useful. And, I'm clueless on this and taking my first trip to China in a few weeks.
Social Media-all major sites?
What kind of sites due they block? Is it indecency they block, politically motivated content/social media or both?
Are VPNs illegal in China? I assume so. Is this something to be concerned about, have people been arrested for using a VPN? I'm not sure it's a risk I'd want to take, unless I can't access stuff related to work.
I read a lot of travel blogs on Twitter but can certainly do so online. Are US based sites all blocked?
I also remote in frequently to my office computer in US to get work done. I use Remote PC(like logmein, etc.) Is this kind of connection going to be blocked?
Social Media-all major sites?
What kind of sites due they block? Is it indecency they block, politically motivated content/social media or both?
Are VPNs illegal in China? I assume so. Is this something to be concerned about, have people been arrested for using a VPN? I'm not sure it's a risk I'd want to take, unless I can't access stuff related to work.
I read a lot of travel blogs on Twitter but can certainly do so online. Are US based sites all blocked?
I also remote in frequently to my office computer in US to get work done. I use Remote PC(like logmein, etc.) Is this kind of connection going to be blocked?
Mar 17, 2019, 6:18 pm
#84
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,410
I'm sure this has been discussed but maybe having the information in this thread would be useful. And, I'm clueless on this and taking my first trip to China in a few weeks.
Social Media-all major sites?
What kind of sites due they block? Is it indecency they block, politically motivated content/social media or both?
Are VPNs illegal in China? I assume so. Is this something to be concerned about, have people been arrested for using a VPN? I'm not sure it's a risk I'd want to take, unless I can't access stuff related to work.
I read a lot of travel blogs on Twitter but can certainly do so online. Are US based sites all blocked?
I also remote in frequently to my office computer in US to get work done. I use Remote PC(like logmein, etc.) Is this kind of connection going to be blocked?
Social Media-all major sites?
What kind of sites due they block? Is it indecency they block, politically motivated content/social media or both?
Are VPNs illegal in China? I assume so. Is this something to be concerned about, have people been arrested for using a VPN? I'm not sure it's a risk I'd want to take, unless I can't access stuff related to work.
I read a lot of travel blogs on Twitter but can certainly do so online. Are US based sites all blocked?
I also remote in frequently to my office computer in US to get work done. I use Remote PC(like logmein, etc.) Is this kind of connection going to be blocked?
All major social media sites are blocked. (English language discussion boards such as this one are normally ok, though.)
Cloud storage sites (Dropbox and the like) are blocked.
Major news sites are blocked, small ones might work.
Anything Google is blocked (because Google wasn't happy about being hacked by China.) Note that this includes things like ReCaptcha, Android handwriting recognition and the update site for my old phone--the whole trip my phone was bugging me to install an update I couldn't download.
Don't count on having anything but Baidu for search--and it does a pretty poor job with English language searches.
Mar 17, 2019, 6:41 pm
#85
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,650
No, they are not illegal. Running a VPN that's based in China without a license is illegal, but foreign VPN providers are obviously not subject to Chinese law, and using them is not illegal.
As far as I know, no foreigner has been arrested for using a VPN. China's government is trying to strike a balance between allowing enough access to foreign websites by foreigners so as to not piss off the foreigners so much that they all leave (or stop visiting), while also not giving their own people unrestricted access to information that they consider harmful to their national security. You know, like the type of stuff that the US government allowed to spread unchecked on social media during the 2016 election, and we won't ever know if said information ended up changing the result of the election.
Most popular US based sites are blocked. I'm not sure if remote PC access would be blocked, but to be sure you can access it, and US based websites, it's best to have at least two VPNs before you visit China (so that you have a backup in case the first one is blocked).
I'm not sure it's a risk I'd want to take, unless I can't access stuff related to work.
I read a lot of travel blogs on Twitter but can certainly do so online. Are US based sites all blocked?
I also remote in frequently to my office computer in US to get work done. I use Remote PC(like logmein, etc.) Is this kind of connection going to be blocked?
I read a lot of travel blogs on Twitter but can certainly do so online. Are US based sites all blocked?
I also remote in frequently to my office computer in US to get work done. I use Remote PC(like logmein, etc.) Is this kind of connection going to be blocked?
Mar 17, 2019, 9:45 pm
#86
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,886
This tool will help you know if a website is blocked: http://www.blockedinchina.net/?siteurl=facebook.com
Mar 20, 2019, 6:49 pm
#87
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: CX MPC DM
Posts: 416
Any social media site you are accustomed to in the western world is blocked here -- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatApp, etc. Top level news is hit or miss, the old traditional ones are blocked, Reuters, NY Times, Time, etc. But some other new sources are accessible -- Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, Daily Beast, Politico, HuffPost to name a few that I frequent (except for Fox 
).
Google is not accessible, but Bing (Microsoft) and Yahoo are available. When I arrive I usually set one of the browsers on my phone to default to Bing. Is it as good as Google? I think not, but it gets by.
I'm not sure about Remote PC, my company uses Fortinet for remote access, essentially opens a VPN. It does work, but I don't use it often. Our office here has a private line back to our NY office and I usually remote over that.
Are VPN's illegal? I think so, but many of us on here are using one or more. Many of my local coworkers also use them. Scroll back on this thread to find much discussion on VPNs. I use ExpressVPN.
Also, check out your international roaming plan offered by your carrier. Many of my US coworkers use T-Mobile with international data roaming. I'm not sure of the specifics but they get a fair amount of data. If you are roaming with a carrier outside of China it will bypass the great firewall. In the US, I use Verizon which is not great for international roaming. Last year, I picked up a SIM card in Hong Kong with data roaming in China Service is very fast and bypasses the firewall also.
).Google is not accessible, but Bing (Microsoft) and Yahoo are available. When I arrive I usually set one of the browsers on my phone to default to Bing. Is it as good as Google? I think not, but it gets by.
I'm not sure about Remote PC, my company uses Fortinet for remote access, essentially opens a VPN. It does work, but I don't use it often. Our office here has a private line back to our NY office and I usually remote over that.
Are VPN's illegal? I think so, but many of us on here are using one or more. Many of my local coworkers also use them. Scroll back on this thread to find much discussion on VPNs. I use ExpressVPN.
Also, check out your international roaming plan offered by your carrier. Many of my US coworkers use T-Mobile with international data roaming. I'm not sure of the specifics but they get a fair amount of data. If you are roaming with a carrier outside of China it will bypass the great firewall. In the US, I use Verizon which is not great for international roaming. Last year, I picked up a SIM card in Hong Kong with data roaming in China Service is very fast and bypasses the firewall also.
Mar 21, 2019, 2:50 am
#88
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,311
If you are truly worried about the legality of VPNs, then international roaming would be the safest option. I can't see how they could get you for simply using a data connection on your SIM card.
Mar 21, 2019, 2:23 pm
#89
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,410
My phone (Sprint, using the free level of international service) was filtered when I was there in November.
Mar 22, 2019, 7:14 am
#90
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,311
Did you recently use a Chinese WIFI network prior to the filtering? DNS pollution can persist after switching back to cellular. FWIW I use a HK SIM and it's still working right now.