How to get around China’s Internet Firewall: VPN Tips

September 8, 2015

One question I get most often from people about living in China is: “How do you use the Internet while in China? Isn’t there a lot of censorship?” Of course it is true, China does have a significant level of censorship that restricts access to alot of web content. Most foreigners frequenting China on business are probably most impacted by the restriction on websites commonly used at home for communication or news. We are talking about social media sites like Facebook and Youtube, news sites like the New York Times, and the most irritating of all, all Google-family web portals including Gmail. If you are surfing the web in China and try to get onto these websites, you will be wholly unable to connect. Talk about a buzzkill.

GET AROUND THE FIREWALL WITH A VPN

The good news is that you can get around the Firewall using what is called a VPN: Virtual Private Network. With VPN software on your computer or mobile device, you will be able to literally jump over the China internet firewall to connect to the Internet using an IP address from a country that does not restrict internet access. Thank God for technology!

VPNs are easy to get and relatively easy to use. One word of advice is to make sure you purchase and download the software BEFORE coming to China as sometimes it is hard to reach the VPN websites within China because (surprise, surprise) those VPN company websites are also blocked here.

WHICH VPN?

There are many choices when it comes to VPNs. Personally, I have been using Astrill for the better part of two years. You can sign up for as low as $5.83 for a month subscription and can add-on a subscription for your smart phone or Ipad. ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE: At the moment, Astrill is getting hit hard by the Chinese government censorship bureau.  While the desktop Astrill VPN seems to be working fine, the iOs (Apple Iphone and Ipad) systems are having a very hard time connecting. This may pass in the next few weeks as things change, but for now if you need to get access on your iPhone you may want to get a different VPN. Despite this, I still recommend Astrill as it has the easiest user interface and the iOs blocking will probably pass soon. What can I say, I’m a loyal consumer.

Another good choice is ExpressVPN. I have used it in the past and was happy with it, although again I switched to Astrill when ExpressVPN was previously targeted by the government. At the moment, it appears Express is having less problems than astrill. Express is similiar in pricing to Astrill, and they are also offering a 30 day money-back trial.

Those VPNs are the two most used amongst my friend circle here in China, but you are welcome to shop around as there are many, many choices. Here is a list you can browse from. If you find one that works well, please drop me an email and maybe we will feature it on the blog. Oh, and if you happen to get Astrill, please consider adding my email as the referrer so I can get a free month add-on ;). I’d owe you one!

3 Quick Ways to Impress Your Guests at the DCBA Chinese New Year Gala

Today, February 24th, marks the end of the official Chinese New Year holiday. But, the party doesn’t have to stop. In fact, my friends at the Detroit Chinese Business Association are throwing a belated Chinese New Year Gala this coming Friday, February 27th, at Motor City Casino. Lucky for you, I have three quick CNY tips that you can use to impress your Chinese guests.

1. The many ways to say “Happy New Year!”

There is an assortment of Chinese phrases used to express Happy New Year. Here are a few:

新年快乐 (Pinyin: Xīnnián kuàilè!; prounounced: shin -NEEan – kwai – le)- This is the most basic, traditional “Happy New Year” greeting.

全家幸福(Pinyin:Quánjiā xìngfú;pronounced: Chew-enn Jia Shing-Foo) – Here you are wishing their entire family good fortune.

万事如意(Pinyin:Wànshì rúyì;pronounced: Wan-SHH ROO-EE)- Ok, this will REALLY impress them. It is a very traditional phrase meaning “Good luck and may all your wishes come true.”

If you can’t remember them, you can always download Google translate (iPhone, Android). Make sure you are translating from CHINESE TO ENGLISH, and then paste the Chinese characters I wrote above into the translation window. You can click on the little speaker next to the phrase and the phone will pronounce it in Chinese for you. Pretty slick.

2. Download WeChat

If you’re doing business in China and you or someone at your office doesn’t have WeChat yet on your smartphone, GET IT NOW! WeChat is used prolifically in business, and according to statista.com, there are now over 438 million active monthly users. It is by far the best way for you to keep communication with your business partners in China, and new friends you will make at this year’s gala.

Trust me, your Chinese guests will be really impressed when right after you meet them you say “Hey, can I add your Wechat?” You can read in Forbes about how WeChat was used across China during this Chinese New Year.

3. Gan Bei! Cheers!

Drinking is a huge part of the Chinese New Year tradition. So you can survive, and thrive, at this year’s Chinese New Year Gala, you need to remember the phrase for cheers in Chinese, “Gan Bei” (pronounced GAAN-BAY). Critically, make a point to cheers everyone INDIVIDUALLY at your table, and if you’re up for it, everyone around the room. Don’t be lazy! Clinking glasses with everyone for a personal toast is very important, and it should be fun. If you can remember to add one of my Happy New Year phrases above, you get bonus points!

I hope you enjoy your time at the gala and that you find these tips useful. If you do happen to use them, I would love to hear about it! You can write me at danredford10@gmail.com or tweet me @DanRedford. Gan Bei!

"Gan Bei" with my girlfriend and her cousins for Chinese New Year 2015 in Yueyang, Hunan Province
“Gan Bei” with my girlfriend and her cousins for Chinese New Year 2015 in Yueyang, Hunan Province