I've seen people i'm staying with in China using Cyberghost as an alternative. Thinking about trying them once expressvpn expires, but only the month version. Pretty much any westerner with a laptop in China probably has some good vpn recommendations
AstrillVPN. Never let me down, and all my friends with Express got fucked several times during crackdowns.
I can use the USA - China Optimized 1 server 95% of the time, and in case that one's not working, China Supercharged 2 covers the gap.
Only once (beginning of the Hongkong crisis) were both down for like a day or 2, but I could easily use the server in Singapore.
Or literally any of the European ones, but they are a bit slower due to the distance.
TL;DR: Astrill rocks. If you want a referral code, let me know. Think we both get a free month or something out of it.
You can absolutely get a VPN from within China. NordVPN and ExpressVPN run mirrors of their websites that are accessible from China, and services like AniVPN are aimed towards Chinese customers. You could take the trip to HK if you feel it necessary, but chances are you can get set up in China, even if you need some help from a friend.
I have a Chinese version Redmi K20 (and all Xiaomi before). It's fairly easy to install Google Play onto (here's the app file.
VPNs are a very fast way to drain your battery. No getting around that. Get yourself a good battery pack (Xiaomi makes good ones, as well) or only connect when you need it.
MIUI is almost entirely translated into English, except for a few apps: their garbage Reader app, Mi AI, Games, and Mi Video. You'll never want to use those apps, anyway. They're all geared towards Chinese-language content discovery.
Even with Google services trying to refresh when you're not on the VPN, it's not a huge battery hog. It knows when it can't refresh and gives up for a while.
Agree with China Unicom, better service than China Mobile and quite cheap. I pay 29 RMB (3,50 EUR) per month for 500 MB daily, and the excess is 1 RMB (0,12 EUR) per 1 GB. There's WiFi everywhere as well, but honestly I couldn't be bothered and treat my phone as an unlimited flatrate. The most I ever paid was 52 RMB in one month... Laughable.
Don't bother with that Google Fi crap, they charge you $10 per GB - total ripoff. Invest in a quality VPN (Astrill rocks!) and you're more than prepared.
Phone - whatever you like. Not a fan of Apple, but they are omnipresent, so no problem here either.
my number one advice is to install a VPN on your phone before you get here otherwise you will have difficulty downloading it here. Astrill is the usual recommendation.
yes you can buy electronics and most things here through the online retailers (tao bao, jingdong) but some items that are imported will be more expensive. but you can get everything here.
china isnt super cheap like before, but once you figure things out your cost of living can be a lot lower here than in the west. but you have to get used to eating chinese food, etc, because western options will still be pricey.
people in general are super friendly. but it can be slow to make friends. most foreigners end up making closer friends with other foreigners and maybe also have some chinese friends if they're lucky, but those can be slower to build IME. the best way to bond with locals is over sports and hobbies and you can find groups for that.
Im not sure why you are coming but I encourage you to learn Chinese. dedicate as much time as you can to it and it will pay off in many ways.
Astrill VPN. I used Express my first couple of years and Astrill is far superior for me.
Baidu translate. You can screenshot a picture (menus, websites, basically anything with Chinese text), upload it to the app, and it translates it for you. Not always accurate, but definitely useful!
Also, is a website for movies you don’t need a VPN for.
It's because of the VPN, since many users are using the same IP, they blacklist them. I'm using Astrill, and some obscure servers are not blocked by wiki - Albania is the one I've used most recently.
Maybe try a couple servers with your VPN provider and see if it works somewhere.
Okay, let's go.
Taobao, WeChat, Alipay, Didi, Dianping, Meituan. The rest you have mini apps for the most part. Didi, Dianping and Meituan standalone apps work faster and are more reliable.
Baidu (maps), A Map. Any other Baidu service app comes separately (Baidu Netdisk aka Cloud drive). I actually strongly recommend avoiding bundle apps. They are the worst.
QQ music for music, iqiyi for movies. Kugou is alternative for music, youku is alternative for videos and movies. iqiyi is cross-platform so you might sometimes get a paywall if the video is uploaded to youku and vice versa. Douyin if you want to lower your IQ with the og TikTok.
Astrill and/or Wannaflix as your VPN. Astrill is a one-button solution, the most reliable one, the king of the kings. But the price bites, get yourself a sub for a year at a discount. Oh, and it accepts crypto.
DeepL for your phone and computer for the most accurate translations. The desktop version rocks. Trust me, you will thank me later.
These are the essentials. The rest is the rest, eg. CaiNiao self service box scanner app and blah blah.
Don't listen to the clowns that say Google Play doesn't work. I have a Pixel 5 as my phone. My phone should not that logic. The bottom line is - if you want good apps and good service - be ready to pay for it.
Edit:
Use APK Pure website and its alternatives if you get yourself a China Mainland version of the phone and you don't know how to re enable Google services. Or you just don't feel like opening Google play today.
Edit 2:
SuperTest (white C letter on blue background icon) and SuperChinese (orange monkey on white background) for your every day Chinese learning. They are incredible. Try them for yourself and consider buying a sub for the additional content.
UU for games to improve latency
I signed up with Google Fi and it worked wonderfully, plus the roaming data is still only $10/GB.
I also used hushed.com and it is awesome too. There are usually deals for a lifetime account, like this one right now: https://www.groupon.com/deals/hushed-com-nat
I found NordVPN to be respectable. Though, oddly, it seemed far more stable and reliable as the VPN for my Android phone than for my Windows PC. I was there in June, and I had to use the "obfuscated server" feature the entire time. Part of the reason I got it was that it's one of the best VPNs for Netflix.
I've been curious about Lantern. It's technically not a VPN - it uses some other process - but I know a native Chinese who got her PhD at an American university who swears by it. I experimented with the free version while I was in China, and it seemed to work well, but I'm curious more about long term use.
You definitley should. I switched a month ago and couldn't be happier. Astrill connects instantly and is just way better in every aspect. I came here with express VPN and thought all VPNs were shitty, but I was wrong
You can get Tylenol and ibuprofen at any pharmacy here without any issues, so don't stress about bringing too much of that with you.
Also, your VPN will likely change as they regularly stop working, get blocked, etc. I've used VyprVPN - horrible. Astrill - was great until CNY when it went down for about a month. I currently use ExpressVPN and can watch Netflix with no problem.
So although I paid for a yearly account with Astrill, I no longer use it due to various issues - so be prepared to lose money, worst case scenario.
I have a MiTV that I bought 3 years ago during the 11.11 sale, and it's playing MKV and AVI just fine. The only codec where I experienced your issue (sound but no video) was with H.266 encoded MKV's, 265 and 264 work like a charm, even up to 2160p (Dune was glorious).
Few things you can do:
It's not impossible or even difficult, it's just annoying. Sometimes crazy annoying.
This morning I had to go through a google document with a team in the states, so I have Astrill running (VPN). It dropped twice during the zoom call, which interrupts the flow of things etc.
Then there's stuff that doesn't cope well with disruptions, packet loss or a slow connection (an SSH session, a big transfer, etc).
If your stuff is hosted on cloud, you can roll your own VPN there, which is sometimes more stable than a separate commercial VPN (forget about freebie VPNs obviously). There are reasonable solutions for real companies, but kind of reach for an individual.
If Astrill is having a bad day, or you're in a bad hotel / place, etc, poor access to the outside world can really get in your way to getting things done. Shifting workload to domestic infrastructure isn't really a non-annoying option either.
>I looked on the website and it didn't list a China location. I can't download it for free, but just to confirm, it really does have a China location?
I have <insert VPN name here> and there is indeed a China connection under the Asia drop-down. Also, Astrill isn't free, of course. You should never use a free VPN.
Consider changing your VPN. Astrill is fairly reliable and has a speed test in its app. Other user stating you need 300kb/s is correct.
If hotel wifi is the issue (e.g. if you see the speed test only getting terrible results) use your cell phone. As long as you are on China Unicom or China Telecom you will get actually often superior speeds and can tether to your computer, on which you run the VPN.
Talk to the hotel. At least in Shanghai most hotels have pretty good wifi and they are not exactly at capacity at the moment. This might be different if you are in a craptastic old Hanting Express but if it's somewhat mid-range they can probably take a look at the connection you are getting.
I bought this on Amazon before coming to China and I'm still using it today 9 months later. No complaints.
Hey,
So I just recently downloaded World of Warcraft (via the app) and I had the exact same issue so I will go through what I did to get it to work.
First off, I had a VPN (Astrill) and a booster (Qeeyou) on my computer. The VPN and the booster where connected to London and Eu direct game server respectively. So I found that when I have the VPN installed anywhere on my computer it would instantly disconnect me when I tried to load into the game.
I contacted blizzard and they hit me with the generic response of “You are not in Europe so I can’t help you”.
After testing everything I found I get a stable connection if I remove my VPN from my computer and only use my QeeYou Booster. I get anywhere from 120-140ms but it never spikes higher than that.
Hope this helps
Not really as far as I know. But some routers allow you to flash custom firmware - Astrill has tips for this if you are a subscriber. So you can then buy the relevant router. They also sell routers pre prepared directly
There can be only one, Tor! Onion routing is the only way to truly protect yourself and even it can be attacked at the end points (though the community is vigilant against such bad actors).
If you really want a VPN, then NordVPN is the one SerpentZa recommends and you can get a discount with the coupon, ADVChina
. This being said, I just work around without. If China really wants to know what you are doing... they are going to know what you are doing.
If this is a business visit make sure you get you IP off the computer and onto an encrypted drive.
Haven't dealt with their support, but mostly because I haven't had to. Still the best VPN to use, imo.
I hear some still claim ExpressVPN as the best, but I had a pitiful experience with trying to use it here. Not sure if it works now or not.
Edit: If you give ExpressVPN a shot, here's what they claim are their most reliable servers in China:
Edit 2: Gave ExpressVPN another shot. Takes a while to connect, and speeds are mediocre, but it works if you're not big on Astrill. These servers do seem to change from time to time though, just like NordVPN -- it can be very hit or miss.
Shadowsocks is more of a solution for Chinese citizens that can't get access to a VPN service. I use NordVPN which doesn't seem to have any reliability issues. Astrill works well, also, but personally I can't recommend ExpressVPN or VyprVPN.
I've had good luck with ExpressVPN over the last 5 months.
Here's a referral link that will get whoever uses it and me a free month.
?referrer_id=9045344&utm_campaign=referrals&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=referral_dashboard
I am just trying to help, I don't understand why you are being rude (I am talking about the word "clown" in the other comment.) I meant that google play doesn't work without VPN (I edited my comment and added "without VPN") .
He may choose another VPN which is cheaper like Express or Nord. I understand that Astrill or Wannaflix might be better, but in my case I chose Express. It works most of the time but at times it doesn't work or it's slow. In case he chooses Express he/she may be unable to connect to the google play sometimes, and I gave some solutions that work for me.
You could try Nextcloud , you need a bit of initial setup but it will do all you want (even Linux). Much like a self-hosted, self-managed Dropbox. (There are also numerous VPS providers who offer a ready-to-use solution)
Then you could host that on a small computer at home (Raspberry Pi or equivalent), possibly even on some NAS boxes, or a VPS service provider in Korea / Japan / Taiwan / Hong Kong. I've had fairly good success with some big-name VPS providers in Asia not needing a VPN (most of the time), but not running anything other than Nextcloud on that VPS.
If you host it yourself, at home, you can also set up a VPN on the same device if necessary, but that complicates things a lot, especially for the end user, and it would be easier then to subscribe to a normal vpn service for them, and do nothing additional on the hosting machine.
Another possibly useful addition since it is family, you can have shared calendars on Nextcloud as well, which update the mobile device calendars, so you could have birthdays anniversaries, travel dates etc shared to everyone.
Maybe something to clarify here:
MKV is merely a container format, it doesn't mean anything on how the file is encoded internally. MP4 is a specific codec, but you can very well have an MKV file that is internally an MP4 (I know it's confusing - think about it how a pdf can include text, photos, 3D renderings and videos all within one file type. But unless you pdf reader is up to date, videos or 3D renders might not show. It's not exactly the same, but maybe helps visualizing).
That's why I suggested to test different MKV's with different internally used codecs (H.264, H.265, H.266 and whatever else you come across).
I'm always playing files from a hard drive attached to the TV by the way, not sure that makes a difference - I would think not, but if transfer rates of your stick are very slow, who knows. Copying to internal storage will definitely do the trick.
The Nvidia Shield 2019 (not-pro) comes with a microSD slot and is about 500 RMB cheaper, so if that's within your budget, might do the trick as well. Or you get a RaspberryPi and install Kodi, that should be less than 400 altogether, but setting it up takes a bit longer. Still very straightforward.
Check: https://kodi.tv/download/raspberry-pi
And: https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-kodi/
PMs are fine, sir.
Also, choose one or two IDEs for your coding; these are the platforms that you code in. I recommend:
Anyway, most people new to data science will use Jupyter and that's fine.
Re: portfolio, open a Github account and learn how to use Git from the command line. There's really only 3 or 4 actual commands you'll need, as you'll see down the line.
Redownload the installer for your vpn incase you need to install it again on your computer and completely remove your VPN program. My booster (Qeeyou) and my VPn (Astrill) seem to not get on well with each other at all. I received an error when trying to connect to Warcraft through the app and found my way to a forum with people who had the same problem. One of the issues that can cause instant disconnects is having a dynamic IP. Can you get an Authenticator for CoD? That seemed to fix it for me along with completely removing my VPN from my system
Those Astrill or other VPN specific router s will lock you in for using their service. It would be best to use a router with software that supports certain standards (like Shadowsocks) so you always have the freedom to change providers.
My main recommendation would be to check out GL-iNet routers. They have Wireguard and Shadowsocks support out of the box. They have a store on Taobao, English software and extensive documentation on their website. They are also selling on Amazon, so that might help to browse and read about which model fits best for you.
Another option is to search for Padavan. This is the name of another firmware with Shadowsocks pre-installed and there are a lot of models with it on Taobao.
To get Shadowsocks based VPN servers you can get a VPN provider that supports it like 12vpn or Wannaflix.
FFXIV didn’t need a VPN in China, at least on PS4, for about 2 years after it was released. Things might have changed though. (FFXI blocked all Chinese IPs about 10 years ago because most gilfarmers were based there)
For other uses, Astrill is the most consistently working one on all platforms. Nord needs a special setup in China and it’s not convenient at all. Express is fast but does get randomly blocked for days at a time, at least for me.
I just spent 3 weeks in China. (July-August 2019). I was able to access Google and banned sites without problems. (Option: "Obfuscated Servers").
I was mainly to Yichang, Hubei province.
I used my Android smartphone and my Windows 10 ultrabook with NordVPN applications.
The connection depended on the device used. (Japan, United Arab Emirates, and even Switzerland because the connection was faster. Hard on Singapore and never on Hong Kong).
I was using Wi-Fi and a Chinese 4G LTE SIM card from "China Telecom".
Obviously the connection was sometimes lost. But overall I am very happy to have chosen NordVPN. This goes through the Great Firewall of China (GFW) !
I have not tested or references regarding another VPN in China.
But to surf normally, for music or YouTube, WeChat, Signal, etc. no problem.
[GLV - Switzerland]
>I found NordVPN to be respectable. Though, oddly, it seemed far more stable and reliable as the VPN for my Android phone than for my Windows PC. I was there in June, and I had to use the "obfuscated server" feature the entire time. Part of the reason I got it was that it's one of the best VPNs for Netflix. > >I've been curious about Lantern. It's technically not a VPN - it uses some other process - but I know a native Chinese who got her PhD at an American university who swears by it. I experimented with the free version while I was in China, and it seemed to work well, but I'm curious more about long term use.
NordVPN never worked for me in the province I went to. Since the firewall is regional, it really depends on your luck.
My first trip to China, I was told I'd be there for three days, a week at most.
I arrived and found they had an apartment for me, plus an office, all set up. I'd be staying months.
VPN set up. Eventually they set me up with Astrill, but once you get into China it's hard to set it up because the firewall blocks you. (You could try swanky Western hotel wifis, sometimes they have their own VPN set up.)
Enough cash. USD to RMB was and is around 1:6. I think I needed around 3000 RMB each month in a large city for transportation, clothes, food, and other sundries and that's not including rent (which my company paid for).
A phone. China registration on phones is stricter than in the West. As a foreigner, you'll need your passport and they will give you a plan that's not as economical as local Chinese. The phone number will be registered centrally with your own passport ID. But you do need a phone - the first place I rented, the apt door had a number lock on it, and they randomly generated the passcode and texted it to my phone. China uses computers only in the workplace and for everything else they use personal smartphones. Some foreign SIM cards can work in China, but I know the one that I got with Verizon in the US with a Moto G did not, and I had to buy a local phone's SIM card. (If you have a local friend who's willing to use their Chinese ID to get a phone for you, that can be a big help.)
If you live in the humid south, try to bring light fabric clothes. Most apartments don't have dryer machines, so you'll need to hang them up to air dry. Heavy cotton clothes can be hard to get clean this way.
>$100 a year is a reasonable price
This is very much at the top end price wise; in fact, apart from Express and Astrill, I don't know of any other provider that charges so much. Nord, for example, costs less than half this amount.
FYI, ExpressVPN is the most popular but tends to take a long time to connect and gets shut down completely when there are big government meetings. I've been experimenting with others and have tried the free trial of Veee with connected fast and worked extremely well. I ended up going with one called twelvemore. It's a bit more complicated to set up but you can use it on 6 different devices simultaneously so you could share the account with a friend. Just my personal experience. Hope it helps.
When you buy a computer make sure you do not get Win10 China Home edition. You can’t change the system language (it’s only available in Chinese).
As far as getting the VPN, if you find anyone in China with a VPN you can use their computer to pay for the VPN ($100 a year is a reasonable price) and download the program onto a USB, then install it on your computer and use your login credentials. You could also do all this in your home country.
You should definitely download the Apps on your phone before you go.
Express and Astrill are pretty common here and have China specific servers.
I have my VPN software installed on 3 work computers, 3 home computers, 2 iPhones and 2 iPads. I can have any 5 of those devices connected simultaneously. If I log a 6th device on it will boot off the first device connected. Very convenient. I use Astrill.
Ahh, that makes sense. Do not use free VPNs, they are typically garbage and almost never work in China. I use Astrill and haven’t had any trouble in years. I’ve heard good things about Nord too. Express has had issues every few months for awhile now. I’m not sure how or exactly what shadowsocks is, but I know people use it to get around the GFW.
Shadowsocks is not a 'pure' solution in that it works but does not hide all of the traffic. Also socks proxy solutions are mostly 'roll your own.' Then there is the benefit of using Netflix or other service if your VPN's IPs are not blocked. So it really depends. I chose VPN, and the one I use is not blocked at times like Astrill and Express is from time to time. DM me if you want a link. Multiple years in CN and the one I use has been solid all the way.
Torguard is OpenVPN or L2TP?
These technologies are obsolete; OpenVPN needs to be wrapped in stunnel and even then ain't great. L2TP is a lost cause.
Again... DIY
If you're on Mac or Linux/Unix, WireGuard is the only option from the link above you need.
Sounds good, just messaged you. Just so anyone else reads this thread I will say that 3 + Private Internet Access may be a somewhat unnecessary unless you have a side job that strongly depends on access to social media. Express is very reliable (if there is an issue hop on their online help, they have an awesome team that is very quick and helpful). I'd say one paid service like Express or Vypr + 1-2 free services such as Turbo would suffice for the average user.
I have used ExpressVPN(For one month) in the past and got fed up of it. I shifted to VPN Unlimited(For One Year) which gave me a hell lot of problems, but was way faster than Express VPN. Then I shifted to Hotspot Shield until it got blocked. I totally loved Hotspot Shield as it was able to play 4K videos on Youtube - That too on US Servers. Then I shifted to , and I'm still on the same. When I first got , it was really fast. 4K videos were a breeze, now I get 720p youtube videos most of the time with London & Seoul servers. West Coast - CA servers are pretty awesome too, the ones with CN2 connection. Usually at night, I can easily watch 1080p videos, but I admit it is not as fast as it was before. And I've actually shifted to a better network, still I didn't find any substantial increase.
ExpressVPN is stable - YES. I mean, no matter what, it will always work. But I stream Youtube videos a lot, so I NEED them to be atleast in 720p if not in 1080p. That's why I like to stay away from Express VPN. Plus the insane price.
But if you wanna give it a try, is mind-blowing when it comes to US Servers.
Try VPN Gate on the computer. Free, because the servers are all volunteers, and the program itself is a research project. Might take a minute or two to find a server that works, but it's pretty stable and pretty fast. This site should work without a VPN.
VPN: I use VPN Gate (free) on my PC and Betternet (free) on my phone. Both work without a hitch, but they're slightly more annoying to get going than the paid VPNs.
Phones: You should be able to use your iPhone 6s in China with a China Mobile SIM card. Just pick one up when you get here, it's not like how it works in the States at all, just cancel your AT&T service before you leave. You just buy a SIM and go. Chinese SIM does not affect VPN usage.
Banking: Come over and get a bank account (our wiki has good info on banking). In case of emergency, Western Union is fast and relatively easy, just a sheet of paperwork to pick it up.
Voting: See the Dept of State website that /u/jrd22566 posted.
Other: Be prepared to bring money for SIM card (100-200 RMB), bedding (600 RMB), transit card (100 RMB), any apartment expenses (furniture, utilities, etc.) and enough to last you till your first paycheck.
I'm not so sure, I've bought three android phones in China and ended up installing Google Services on all of them anyway to get around the software block most Chinese phones have on Google software. Plus they've all been riddled with Chinese bloatware. So YMMV.
iOS has never worked as smoothly as Android when it comes to Astrill either, so there's no perfect choice. I'd probably go with bringing an android device from abroad and stopping Google apps from communicating while on mobile data.
OpenVPN is a joke in China. I have no idea how anyone still uses or advocates ExpressVPN which uses unobsuscated OpenVPN. My point is that vanilla OpenVPN is dead in China and anyone who doesn't know VPN will be duped by ExpressVPN.
>Wannaflix
I just open and close an ExpressVPN account in 30min. Literally!
I was trying to run away from Astrill, and then subscribe and installed Express.
I tried this try and tried that server, until i notice a link for the china status - meanwhile talking to service support of express. They have no solution as for now. Immediatelly request to be refunded.
4 years ago, I was heavy user of ExpressVPN, switched to ShadowSocks since some colleagues introduced, we purchase in group and it was like a joke - RMB 30/year from each. But like all things in China, if you don't keep updated, your source stop and you are lack of alternatives.
Join Astrill 2021 and had better times than now, at least for me their servers are stable.
But I hate their connections speeds.
Astrill is getting more and more expensive. If you're willing to try shadowrocket-based VPNs, I would recommend you using .
What I found out recently is very illogical, but so far works for me to fix/workaround the above problem with Astrill VPN eventually blocking all internet on iPhone when phone is left unattende or not in use. Go to Astrill Settings while it is offline and uncheck the first checkbox names Always on VPN, problem solved, it no longer blocks Internet after a minute of inactivity and no need to keep switching between server anymore to fix it, it just keeps working (so far so good for a few hours)
Astrill works fine, as a streaming device I use the Nvidia Shield 2019 (tube, not pro). I've got astrill installed directly on my router (ASUS RT-AX88U) so all home traffic is sanitized automatically, and I can watch Netflix and Disney+ without problems. Same for youtube. Others probably as well but I don't have subscriptions.
You can connect 2 HDDs to the router via USB and share them on the network via smb or ftp and then install VLC on the shield to stream from there, works like a charm.
Try UDP mode on the smartphone, may fix a few problems. Also Astrill on the phone tends to get stuck after a while of inactivity effectively blocking any internet and you will need to either flip it off/on or switch to another server to revive it
Astrill is hands down the best VPN for China. I have never, not once, in almost 4 years in China been unable to connect. Occasionally an individual server will go down but changing server always works - although you need to avoid the "China supercharged" ones and go for random countries. I use Sweden, Germany, UK etc.
ExpressVPN. Samsung S10e, recently bought a new Z Fold 4. Stayed connected 95 percent of the time this week (I had to turn off VPN to download something for a few hours last night) with Wi-Fi or China Telecom
I stopped using Astrill for being unstable for the iPhone; I got tired of keeping to switch servers to make it work.
Suddenly I found an app called Shadowlink, and it's stable. I have no idea about this app, nor did I hear about it, but it's 10x better than Astrill and their bullshit technology
Astril is fine if you’re okay with the price
I bought a fire stick here and stuck my VPN on it, you can install Astrill through an app called downloader, and it works.
I would have a copy of Astrill installer for all platforms on a memory stick just in case.
I use Shadowrocket with Heisenberg. I pay around 479 rmb per year yet I have a 2TB download limit. Yet every time I refer my guy to someone he tops up my account with some 15GB. As for at home; I connected my Mac Studio directly to a small VPN device from a local provider, it’s actually very reliable as I watch YouTube and make video calls a lot. This device costs me 400 RMB per year and so far it’s perfectly stable compared to my Astrill router setup that was disconnecting the whole time and I have to figure out which servers were the best and had to change every single time. So as a conclusion : shadowrocket with Heisenberg is always on when I’m out of the house, at home is the local device that is connected to my wifi. So far more than 20 of my friends jumped into Heisenberg guy and I got like an extra 3 months or something I don’t remember. And they’re all satisfied with the connection.
I’m in the same boat. I’m trying express and SurfShark on my phone. They both seem to connect for me. I’m in Guangzhou and connecting to the US servers. But neither seem to connect or stay connected on my computer. So far only Astrill seems to connect in my computer.
It's pretty much an iOS issue. I like iPhones but not having a stable VPN (no matter the provider) was enough for me to recently switch to android. I've had no issues so far with Astrill. It's as stable as on my computer
there doesn't appear to be an option to switch between OpenWEB and Stealth on the iOS app? but I've switched to TCP and turned off Smart mode. things appear to be running a little smoother.
chances are I will just resubscribe to Astrill as in all my searching online the consensus seems to be the other big VPNs run even worse in China.
and yeah I'm on china mobile. company didn't give me a choice. I could switch but not sure it's worth the hassle
I've used PureVPN to get almost 82 percent off.
Ah, I don't use iOS but since OpenWEB is an option in linux, windows and android I just expected it would be available in iOS as well.
As for others, no, Astrill is the best. Mullvad worked for me about a year ago but went back to Astrill as it is easier to work with on linux. Windscribe sometimes worked, but not consistently. Nord and Proton never worked.
I don’t think any newcomer or even newly registered Chinese phone number can install and/or register Didi China anymore, it was banned by CCP a year ago for violation of National Security Law. If you have it from the last you can use, but not working for new registrations (even via WeChat or AliPay mini programs)
Try T3 as alternative to Didi, works for me, but it’s all Chinese so I use Baidu to screenshot and translate For time being I use Duolingo to learn Chinese slowly
Astrill is the only VPN I know that works for now, not sure about others but Express and Nord were dead when I tried them in the end of September
I also use 2 sims in phone, physical Chinese SIM card and US Mobile eSIM (works over WiFI calling for 2FA, etc) Apple Maps in iPhone is amazing, can’t use Baidu or Gaode as I can’t read Chinese and get frustrated quickly 😂
Already some great suggestions in the comments. Astrill is the superior VPN as I've tried NordVPN, VyprVPN, PureVPN, and ExpressVPN with Express being the 2nd best and the rest are just awful and slow.
Do you have an Android or an iPhone. A lot of services will work perfectly fine on an iPhone but on an Android phone where a lot of services depend on Google, you'll have to have the VPN running in the background for those services to work reliably.
Don't forget translation apps. I have two that I run with for years, Apple's Translate and Google Translate. I like Apple's Translate since I don't need the VPN running but sometimes the pinyin doesn't come up so I'll turn on the VPN and use Google Translate which always shows the pinyin. Both apps allow the use of the camera to scan texts and translate them as well, they both have worked well for me in the wild.
I'd also recommend downloading a timezone app that shows you the current time in each time zone so you are aware of your home city's time if you want to call your family or friends.
Look into a global converter app as well. I have an app that converts temperature, weight, distance, and even currency.
My man, don't buy Chinese version because playstation store need a Chinese ID and it's regulated by the government ( all software like that). And No don't ask Chinese friend to give you his ID. It's region locked
I bought PS5 japanese version from Taobao and I quickly was able to connect my foreign account and download games but you need a VPN (ExpressVPN works great).
Chinese games store is different than the rest of the world. It's a lot of hassle
youll need a paid VPN. Unfortunately, Astrill literally just doubled their price. Its the best one I believe. Free VPN is not reliable.
In regards to the health code app, youll need to download AliPay and ask help from your school to set it up. Its very difficult as a foreigner but they should be able to help you.
I used Astrill from about 2013 until I left last month and except for some wonky behaviour back in around 2014 or 2015 (To be fair all VPNs were having a difficult time back then) that lasted a few weeks I have had really good experience with them. I used about 3 other VPNs before I landed on Astrill and found it to be the best. I could use it on my phone, iPad and computer.
I use Windscribe for my Windows computer and an app called Stay Safe VPN that's from the China iphone app store that should work most of the time but tends to get completely jammed during important events, it didn't work at all over National Holiday, but it's mostly ok again now.
These are both pay for apps but they're not too bad.
Astrill tends to work well on Android phones.
Astrill is the most reliable one button VPN. Hit it, and you are good to go.
A much cheaper option - but a bit requires time to setup - is Wannaflix. Oh, and it has Alipay pay optio and a 30 day refund policy!
Never had issues with either. Had issues with the rest.
Astrill seems to be the best well know VPN at the moment of course this can change. The health apps depend on the city and can be downloaded once you arrive. To get on the plane you just need the code from the consulate.
Astrill and express are the most commonly used I believe. Astrill cost around 1000rmb a year. It has a Chinese based website as an option so there is no need to used a VPN to initially get it if I remember right.
Free VPNs such as Lantern are pretty terrible. I would recommend just paying for one if you plan on staying longer than a few months.
Health code apps are different for different cities. They can be downloaded through an app store or as a wechat mini app, I think this depends on the health code app though.
They just show if you have travelled to any risky areas recently and your virus swab results + when you had your last test.
Access to places is usually dependent on scanning a QR code using these apps to confirm you're not coming from an area of risk.
I’m in Beijing. Astrill hasn’t worked well for me. Someone else mentioned that timing of national events affects VPN effectiveness- that’s most certainly true. It also seems to be related to the ISP, the neighborhoods, and the device.
This is a fantastic post. Thank you, I’m making note of those ports.
And right, no SIM card yet, but that’s good to know, I’ll see if Nihao Mobile has options to deliver during the holiday. I’m currently using the roaming package for my mobile, but having a SIM in theory seems better in the long run, as I need a chinese phone number for many things.
And yeah, it really seems like Astrill is the only good option
Another thing to keep in mind (and people can correct me if I’m wrong): it being a national holiday and right before the party meeting means that the government seems to crack down on VPNs.
Personally, I’m in Chengdu and Express hasn’t worked reliably for a month or two. Astrill works well on my PC and my Firestick, but doesn’t work on my iPhone.
Usually it has to do with international peering. Essentially the routing VPN traffic takes. It's possible that the Hotel WiFi blocks various ports. Try Astrill's StealthVPN or OpenWeb. Open VPN is super easy to block.
I'd just contact Astrill customer support and see what they say.
I have used Express and Nord VPN for just 2 and 3 days each and i asked for full refund. And then try a lot more other VPN, one of them is Baacloud for just 25 yuan per month, which is then raided by the law enforcement I am now with Astrill for one year, never looked back since.
ExpressVPN works really well until it just stops. Usually around Chinese holidays or political events.
I really struggled with Astrill. It never worked consistently and customer service was terrible.
NordVPN was similar to Express - worked great until it didn’t.
Astrill isn't reliable anymore compared to Shadowsocks.
Your best bet is getting a Chinese Shadowsocks subscription, far more reliable and more configurable. PM me and I can send you the details of the one I use.
Also I recommend you get a Raspberry R4S and run VPN with it through your router, I can add you to a telegram group full of expats in China who do this.
Don't go for a big company like Astrill or Express, they are terrible now in comparison to Shadowsocks VESS or Trojan servers. The only people who use Astrill or Express are those who don't want to go through the effort to set up Shadowsocks at home and just want a "VPN ON" button, even though it's easy to set up Shadowsocks.
Astrill and Express are far less configurable, and you can't use it in conjunction with things like UU for gaming in China to get good ping.
No techie Chinese person uses these services, they all use Shadowsocks.
If you want an easy option with Shadowsocks, you can buy WannaFlix and use those apps on your phone, too. It's the best "big" Shadowsocks hosting and they have many tutorials and Telegram groups to help set it up, but it's literally just downloading an app like V2RayN and copying over a subscription link.
Don't get Astrill!!!
The Astrill recommendations surprise me. I’m in BJ. I had Astrill for a year. It was much worse than ExpressVPN. It was difficult to find a working server to connect, it often disconnected, and it would often show I was connected but still be blocked - and when I disconnected, it couldn’t reconnect… the iPhone app was buggy…
Don't subscribe to NordVPN.
I'm in China since june.
NordVPN never worked on windows devices, and is several weeks that it doesn't work on any device. I switched to ExpressVPN. It works way better and it does work better even if sometimes it drop.
I used one with my home router, no problem. Got an Asus RT-AX88U with Merlin Firmware and Astrill.
Eventually I got tired of it only being able to work at home so I sideloaded a full-fledged Linux distro though. Still working today.
Mine costs $6/month for unlimited bandwidth and allows use on up to 5 devices at the same time. Multiple protocols. Fast enough to stream YouTube at 4k. Servers in lots of countries. I don't post the name on public forums simply because I like the fact that they fly under the radar unlike Astrill or Express, which makes them less likely to be targets of government blocking efforts. Send me a message if you want me to tell you the name.
i do not :) bit this is the f@ck knows.
oh yes and astrill wanting your phone number and no option to return any money is all dandy...being one of the only vpns not accepting external revisions...
i paid for 1Y of Express for 21/22 and i switched to 1Y of Astrill April i will see if i stick with it or not...
Also had nord is not even worth mentioning
Astrill has been better than Express for me. I had Express for a couple years but switched to Astrill during an extended outage. People say that everything goes down during sensitive times but there hasn't been a single day I haven't been able to use Astrill for the last 3 years.
That said, I will be looking for something else next time I have to renew. Astrill is expensive and their customer service is not great. Any time there's a problem with their crappy software they blame your operating system.
One time I was trying to set up their router applet on dd-wrt, and they just had no clue what the hell was going on. Kept giving the same incorrect reasons why it wouldn't work, and they suggested I downgrade the dd-wrt version to one that was 7 or 8 years out of date and completely insecure. Talking to dd-wrt developers, they said that they wouldn't trust any company asking you to do that. It's absolutely ridiculous for a VPN company that should be focused on security.
I have heard more expats around me using Astrill and Express being the second. Astrill doesn't offer a guarantee refund policy so I was hesitant in trying them but it sounds like they may the ones to go with.
good for you...i had and i had managed to isolate the provlem to one particular android phone in my household.
Because i have received zero support i had to troubleshoot everything myself and in the end the password change and kicking of all devices have solved my problems.
I believe there was something wrong in general on my account because after i have received "seems to be all fine" things started to operate again.
Now i had zero issues for about 2M.
My wife that is running iOS has said that its much worse because with express she could have it ON and taobao, alipay and wechat continued to work as normal. Now with Astrill she has to turn it OFF completely every time she want's to use Chinese apps (even with smart mode). Can not seem to find a setting that would fix this.
Andoid is good because it's supports splitting.
i wouldn't...
they advertise up to 5 devices at the same me and my wife have CONSTANT issues on android, ios and windos, because they can not handle device off state!!
one of the android devices was constantly "live" (having taken a slot) but ot was phone was off!
same on windows...being shut down, reporting its connected and constantly giving problems with connection to any server.
Servers keep on they work at one point, than they are no longer listed and you get disconnected.
The connection is stable apps most definitely are not! The app on my Android is constantly crashing and closing at tandom times which has never happened with express.
The windows app seems to be the most stable of them all and it consistently works (if you make sure you manage to somehow kill all other devices...i had to change a password to the account and never again turn on the one andoid phone that can not seem to disconnect)
i have reported this to their support...which is non-existent and i have received only one answer: "on our side everything seems normal"
had much better experience with Express. The apps were stable, better behaviour overall on iOS (you can have express running and still use alipay wechat and other Chinese apps, while with Astrill you can not)
I had express for 1Y, switched to Astrill because of all the good reviews and my experience with it is one of the worst (windows app works better, android and ios are a lot shittier)
Had almost no issues with express, except in times of Chinese events when everything goes down anyway....
I have used Astrill for the last five years. Sure sometimes the connection drops and you'll have to switch servers and yes, in October during the CCCP gatherings they're more vigilant about VPNs, but overall I have had positive experiences. I would recommend, no doubt.
Without trying to be overly combative... Are you working for Express?
I just know I've never encountered any of those issues you mention, and Express's people have been known to make a lot of not-so-subtle attempts at viral marketing on China-related subreddits in the past.
Personally, I haven't used Express myself, but all the expats I knew who talked about it ended up feeling so unsatisfied with its unstable and fickle nature that every one of them ended up switching to other providers sooner or later: Something I can't say of users of other mainstream China-focused paid VPN providers.
It's also a red flag to me that ExpressVPN is a Hong Kong-based company, but they misrepresent this and claim to be based in the British Virgin Islands. Very shady indeed. Of course, we all know who holds the reins of power in HK nowadays...
Other VPNs may have some shady doings as well
Everyone diss on ExpressVPN but it has served me good. The app is good, you can choose which app goes through the VPN and which app doesn't. For gaming use UU. I tried Astrill but too much disconnections, Nord VPN, strong VPN, just dont work.
I would like to know more about your insights on VPN. I'm using Astrill (I pay extra for that VIP account) for 2 years and it's definitely better than Express I had before. I run it on an old Linux laptop and all I can complain is that I have to pay ~1KRMB/year.
I have used Astrill for the past five years with success. Sure,. sometimes the connection is patchy and driving you up the wall, but overall it works quite well. I've also used Viper, which I won't recommend.
Greenify hasn't been updated in ages and no longer works with Android 11 and 12. It was still partially working with 10, but even there some features were broken. You're better off using Hibernator, which is still being maintained to date.
Storage Isolation, App Ops and AdAway are awesome, no doubt about it.
I've not installed Shamiko, but simply activate the "Enforce DenyList" option in the Magisk settings, and then added the banking apps in the DenyList config, it's less complicated and works flawless. I did however install the Universal SafetyNet Fix (by kdrag0n), google for github link and used hide magisk (where the main app is installed under a random name).
Another recommendation from my end to de-Chinify your phone is Ice Box. It essentially disables all shortlisted apps at once, and places them into a special launcher from where they are booted. They cannot be launched from inside the system, including from other apps. You can however create shortcuts and place them on your desktop and launch the apps seamlessly.
This also cuts them off from the play store, so in case you want to prevent apps from updating while still being able to use the auto-update button, this one is for you... (looking at you, google translate with new ugly design).
This book is old now, but may help with some things to expect.
https://www.amazon.com/Encountering-Chinese-Guide-Americans-Interact/dp/0933662955
I think you'll enjoy your time here.
Routers are the way to go. I don't recommend ExpressVPN anymore since it is less reliable than ShadowSocks servers, and you can't implement custom rules.
Don't use big companies, use small privately owned VPN ShadowSocks servers or use a router.
I moved from to Astrill a few years ago and I have no regrets. It may be a bit more expensive than the others but is a VPN really something that you want to go cheap on? You can try express. A friend of mine uses something called shadowsocks which isn't exactly a vpn but it is ... I didn't understand it. Just pay the money and get a reliable vpn bud lol.