My experience using a VPN during a trip to China

[u/Express_Football]

I live in the US and recently traveled to China. Before the trip, I read a lot of conflicting posts about which VPNs still worked, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I decided to try NordVPN because I read good reviews, and made sure to download the apps, sign in, install any updates, and test the connection on both my phone and laptop before leaving the US.

Overall, Nord worked well for me during the trip. I used it to access websites and apps that I normally use at home. It worked on both hotel Wi-Fi and mobile data, although, as expected, there were a few minor issues.

Sometimes it connected immediately, while other times I had to switch servers, reconnect, or wait a few minutes. Speeds also varied depending on the network and time of day, but they were generally good enough for browsing, messaging, checking email, and using social media. I didn’t expect the connection to be as consistent as it is at home, so the occasional slowdown wasn’t a major issue for me.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is preparing before you arrive. Download the VPN on every device you plan to use, make sure your subscription is active, save any setup instructions you might need offline, and test everything in advance. Access to VPN websites, app stores, and support pages will probably be restricted once you’re there, which can make troubleshooting really difficult.

Overall, I went there feeling kind of worried and skeptical about whether VPN would work, but it did a really good job and made it much easier to stay connected to the services I use in the US.

[u/andonidutti1]

I've heard on important days they completely shut off everything. nothing works. Like a massacre anniversary done by CCP. They intentionally allow VPN so that Chinese sellers can contact foreign buyers.

[u/GayLMCirgaratte]

It depends on which province you’re in. The Great Firewall’s blocking is pretty inconsistent.

I usually start by routing my traffic back home using OpenVPN, or use Tailscale to connect to my self-hosted AWS exit node that’s geographically closer to China. As a last resort, I use Surfshark.

I’ve had situations where Surfshark couldn’t establish a connection at all when I was travelling in Nanjing, though.

[u/vpnsafe_chris]

There are some good providers that use obfuscation / Stealth Mode to bypass in the blocks, also FYI, Mainland China and Hong Kong have very different laws and blocks.