This can make it frustrating to navigate China, but you can get around this by using a VPN.

A VPN stands for ‘Virtual Private Network’, and it is not illegal to use a VPN in China for personal use.

You don’t need to have technical knowledge to use a VPN, it is simply an application on your phone.

Research the VPN you wish to use

Important: Some VPN’s simply don’t work in China, and VPN providers are aware of that. It’s important you research a provider that clearly states on their website that they operate in China. This was a costly mistake I made only once (!)

Download your chosen VPN before flying to China

Once you are in China it will be harder to download and activate a VPN (although not impossible). It will be easier all round if you download and activate your VPN a few days before your trip, to ensure its working as desired.

Enjoy accessing all your usual applications

To use your VPN you will need internet access. Turn your VPN on and select the country you wish to appear from. I usually select the UK or nearby countries like Japan and/or Singapore. Everyone has their own preference.

Note: Some VPN’s have specific locations optimised for use from China, they will be labelled clearly by the VPN provider (see below):

My preferred VPN provider is Astrill, as I can share my log-in with my wife and have multiple devices connected at each time. It works for me as I regularly return to China, but for those taking an individual trip you may wish to consider a free trial instead of a long-term commitment.

How do Chinese people cope?!

Extraordinarily well actually. For every app thats blocked, there is a Chinese native app in its place. My experience is that many Chinese people aren’t too fussed about lack of access to these apps, as they aren’t widely adopted or used in daily life.

For example – if your country was planning to block access to a Chinese app called Weibo, would you care? Possibly not, you don’t use it, your friends likely don’t use it, its meaningless. Its the same principle there.

Understand that western apps will still be limited in China – even with a VPN

While you can unblock access to your apps with a VPN, some apps won’t be useful in China. For example, attempting to navigate China via Google Maps would be a recipe for disaster, as restaurants/businesses in China would not usually upload their details to Google.

For those going to China for a longer period of time (work/study etc), I would strongly recommend adopting Chinese apps into your lifestyle, so you can better navigate your time in China.

For a closer look, check out my ‘Chinese app basics guide’ which should be a good place to start!