Best VPN for China
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If you are planning on traveling to China, then make sure you pack a VPN for going. China, long known for its enormous efforts to control media censorship, has long blocked many websites that the West takes for granted.
Instead of Google, you will need to use Baidu, no Facebook think Weibo. The list goes on. Traveling to China without a VPN will mean you may not even be able to access your email accounts, as the list of banned websites is extensive.
Before we look at the best 5 providers for VPN in China, let’s get some understanding of what censorship in China is like and how it can be circumvented.
What is the Great Firewall of China?
Operated under the “Golden Shield Project” and administered by the Bureau of Public Information and Network Security Supervision. The Great Firewall of China is the biggest network censorship project in the world.
Specifically designed to regulate domestic internet connections and block access to foreign websites. Though it uses the guise of censorship and protecting Chinese citizens, it has also proven to be a highly valuable tool for China to develop and nurture Chinese companies that would be vulnerable to stiff competition from more developed Western technology companies.
The project was started in 1998, with the first part completed in 2006, and the second in 2008. It is administered by an estimated 30,000-50,000 people and is constantly evolving. This number is actually a drop in the bucket compared to the number of internal censors China forces companies to hire to police their own networks. Recently many VPN provider’s websites and applications were blocked in China, making it extremely difficult to buy a VPN in the country.
The reason why many VPNs don’t work anymore in China is that all the most common security protocols can be detected by their network sensors and automatic firewalls.
Most standard VPNs will use OpenVPN, Cisco IPsec, IKEv2/IPsec, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP or God forbid PPTP. All these protocols have been fine-tuned by the Great Firewalls Deep Packet Inspection tools. When a connection is found to be using these protocols it is blocked. Meaning your VPN no longer works.
All the VPN providers in our list have had to put time and money into custom designing proprietary software that will allow your traffic to appear like normal secured HTTP traffic and therefore be indistinguishable to the firewalls.
Can The App Be Downloaded in China Without a VPN?
The chances are that you won’t be able to download the application while in China. All the major VPN provider’s websites are blocked with new ones being added each day
Is The Provider’s Website Blocked in China? Do Mirrors Exist?
You can use this site to check if your VPN provider’s site has been blocked. Chances are it has. Mirrors do exist and are popping up all the time, but are quickly blocked, plus without a VPN and access to Western sites, you would find it hard and time-consuming to find a mirror if you are already in China.
Are There Special Technologies for Accessing VPNs in China?
Several companies have attempted to create specific scrambling technologies which make their traffic merge with normal SSL encrypted internet traffic.
However, once discovered the Chinese authorities will move quickly to block the service. VyprVPN is a good example of a provider who used a technology called Chameleon to allow their service to be used in China. After a few years and probably due to it becoming more popular it popped up on the radar of the Chinese government and the loophole was closed.
Other companies like StrongVPN have released a host of mirror sites, giving URLs that may not be already blocked.
The short story is that no VPN provider can successfully push back against the Chinese government, so it becomes more a case of using technology that allows users to fly under the radar. Once detected the enormous resources of the Chinese agencies are no match.
Also, especially around public holidays, there will always be extra rumblings about VPN’s being blocked. This may mean you have to disconnect and reconnect to set up a new IP and then browse freely.
Conversely, the Chinese government is aware it would be impossible to block all VPN providers and connections, so sometimes you just need to reconnect multiple times.
ReviewVPN cannot attest to the legality, security and privacy of the applications discussed on this site. It is highly recommended that you use a VPN service while streaming or using Kodi. Currently, your IP 217.182.92.119 is visible to everyone and your Browser is being tracked by Advertisers & ISP Provider. Here are the main reasons why you must use a VPN: A VPN works be replacing your ISP-assigned IP address and creating an encrypted tunnel. We recommend the no log service offered by IPVanish. It works well on a Firestick and offers the fastest possible speeds.
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Download a VPN Before You Go
The good news is that unlike the average Chinese citizen, you can download and subscribe to a VPN provider before you go. Once in country use any of our Top 5 VPN providers who have a proven track record of working anywhere in China
Best VPNs for China
SurfShark
SurfShark is one of the top-tier VPN providers that have a good track record of working in China. With millions of users and 3,200 servers in 65+ countries, they have the size needed to constantly adapt to the changing climate of censorship in China.
Multi-year packages start from $2.21 and they have a host of security features that helps make them one of the most secure VPN providers around. From their Cybersec tool which acts as a built-in ad-blocker, malicious website, and malware blocker. Double VPN which routes your traffic through 2 VPN servers.
There are 2 reasons why Surfshark tends to work in China. Firstly, they don’t have any servers China side. Most of the servers you connect to are in Hong Kong. Secondly, connections to China are routed through “obfuscated” servers. These servers allow your traffic to resemble HTTPS traffic which is secure and encrypted. As this is a common type of data packet, they do not alert network sensors.
You can also manually set an IKEv2 connection through your mobile. Surfshark has a few mirror sites to download when in China, but we recommend you do so before landing as these pages can be blocked anytime. Another plus is its responsive 24/7 chat so if you are having a persistent problem connecting to them you can chat to an agent and find a working server.
Grab your subscription now!
How to Install Surfshark on Firestick with Screenshots
If your Firestick still has the older interface, read this article to learn how to update it: Update Firestick Interface.
You can download Surfshark directly from the Amazon App store. It will be easy for you to find Surfshark with your Firestick’s Find feature. Refer to our screenshots below.
Follow our screenshots below to install the SurfShark VPN app on your Fire TV stick.
1. Go to the Home screen of your Firestick.
2. Navigate towards the Find tab. Press the Search button from the resulting dropdown.
3. Type in the keyword of SurfShark and select from the suggestions that will appear.
4. Click the official SurfShark icon from your search results.
5. Press the Download (You own it) button.
6. The SurfShark VPN installer will download on your device.
7. SurfShark VPN’s app will automatically install itself on your Fire TV stick.
8. Press the Open button after completing SurfShark VPN’s installation process.
9. Please wait for the SurfShark VPN to load its user interface.
10. You can now log in with your SurfShark VPN account credentials.
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Install Surfshark on Firestick
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FAQs
Are all the VPNs free?
No. However, you can still use each VPN’s free trial mode.
Can I use a VPN in China?
Yes. Using a VPN is legal inside China.
Conclusion
The Best VPN for China in our opinion is SurfShark. It gives us robust VPN encryption protocols with the latest VPN technologies. Furthermore, it will connect you to its vast network of private DNS servers making you invisible to prying eyes.
Final Words
We hope this article gives you the Best VPN for China. Thank you for reading!
