← China Travel Guide
Internet access in China
What works, what does not, and how to prepare your devices.
This is the topic most travelers underestimate. The Great Firewall of China blocks Google (Search, Gmail, Maps, Drive, YouTube), Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Wikipedia, ChatGPT, most Western news sites, and many other services that you probably use every day. WeChat works but messages may be monitored.
The reliable solution for most travelers is a VPN, but VPN providers operate in a legal grey area in China and the government actively works to block them. The most successful VPN protocols for China currently use obfuscation techniques like REALITY, V2Ray/Xray, or specialized Stealth modes from a few commercial VPNs that invest heavily in staying ahead of the GFW. Free VPNs almost never work in China.
Set up your VPN and test it BEFORE you fly — once inside China, downloading a new VPN is much harder because the app stores and provider websites are themselves blocked. Save offline maps (maps.me, OsmAnd), Chinese translation apps, and have your hotel and contact information saved offline.
The reliable solution for most travelers is a VPN, but VPN providers operate in a legal grey area in China and the government actively works to block them. The most successful VPN protocols for China currently use obfuscation techniques like REALITY, V2Ray/Xray, or specialized Stealth modes from a few commercial VPNs that invest heavily in staying ahead of the GFW. Free VPNs almost never work in China.
Set up your VPN and test it BEFORE you fly — once inside China, downloading a new VPN is much harder because the app stores and provider websites are themselves blocked. Save offline maps (maps.me, OsmAnd), Chinese translation apps, and have your hotel and contact information saved offline.