First Stop China

VPN & internet access in China

What is blocked, what actually works, and how to prepare before you lose access to the app store.

What everyone needs to know

Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X and most Western news sites are unreachable on the domestic Chinese internet.
VPN apps are removed from Chinese app stores, and VPN provider sites are blocked — install and configure everything before you fly.
VPN reliability varies week to week and by city; some work on Wi-Fi but not on mobile data.
Using a VPN is a regulatory grey area for visitors; enforcement against tourists is rare but not zero.

The numbers

Item	Typical value
Apps to install first	1–2 VPNs, plus offline maps
Typical speeds	2–20 Mbps when connected
Best protocol	WireGuard/Shadowsocks over OpenVPN
Preparation window	Before departure — not on arrival

Do it in this order

Choose and pay for a reputable VPN before travel, and install it on every device.
Install a second, different provider as a fallback — single-provider outages are common.
Download offline maps, your hotel address in Chinese and any tickets you need.
Test the VPN before you fly, then re-test on arrival on Wi-Fi before relying on mobile data.

Mistakes to avoid

Planning to download a VPN after arrival — app stores are regionalised and the sites are blocked.
Relying on a free VPN, which is usually slow, log-heavy or already blocked.
Leaving no offline fallback if the VPN fails.

Sources

Take the practical route instead: an international roaming eSIM avoids most of this

VPN & internet access city by city

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