Does NordVPN work in China in 2023?
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Dovilė Jankevičiūtė
Writer
China is one of the countries where the Internet is heavily censored. You can’t just connect to an open hotspot and check your Facebook or Gmail. Many Western websites are locked behind the Great Firewall.
A good solution in such cases is a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service is a good solution in such cases. For a fee, you can join their networks and bypass blocks by connecting through an outside server. Yet, not all VPNs can do it equally well.
Luckily, NordVPN works in China and allows you to safely and anonymously browse online. Here’s everything that you should know about it, as well as the online security situation in China.
How to get NordVPN to work in China
- Get NordVPN, now 66% OFF, before you travel to China
- Set up your account
- Download and install the app
- Connect to a secure server
- Try obfuscated servers for more security
- Enjoy safe browsing in China
Why not all VPNs work in China?
The Great Firewall isn’t a fixed entity. Much like any other service, it also receives updates and gets better at blocking connections. This requires a lot of resources and time on the VPN provider’s part. You have to plan out the infrastructure, you also have to constantly monitor the situation and provide timely responses when something’s not working. Not many businesses have the luxury to go through the burden that bypassing the Great Firewall brings.
In turn, only a handful of VPN service providers can be said to be working in China. Unfortunately, some of the most popular VPNs, like Mullvad, ZenMate, IPVanish, and others don’t bypass the internet restrictions in China.
Why do I need a VPN in China?
You’ll need a VPN in China to browse online safely and anonymously. In addition, a robust VPN is the only tool that will help you bypass the Great Firewall and access the censored services and media. Without one, you’re stuck on the wrong side of the wall. If you’re heavily relying on services like Messenger or Gmail, you won’t even be able to get in touch with your family or work. It’s not all bad news, a VPN can solve all of these problems.
With a VPN, your connection is encrypted, making it obscure for government-owned Internet Service Providers (or ISPs). Sometimes, additional obfuscation protocols are added to send the additional data packets to trick the Great Firewall that you’re not actually using a VPN. All of this allows you to unblock pages that would remain closed to you. Just make sure to set it up before going into the country.
How does NordVPN bypass the Great Firewall?
NordVPN uses Obfuscated servers to bypass the internet restrictions in China. It uses OpenVPN tunneling protocol to connect to the obfuscated servers, but it camouflages your traffic to look like a regular HTTPS one instead of going through the VPN tunnel.
This is needed because your ISP knows that you’re using a VPN even when your VPN traffic is encrypted. The Great Firewall is pretty good at stopping usual VPN traffic (hence, simple OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP don’t work). In addition, obfuscated servers are useful to bypass other internet restrictions, not only the Great Firewall of China.
So, sending additional data packets to spoof the Great Firewall makes your VPN traffic look like you’re just browsing through available pages without a VPN. This is what allows NordVPN to bypass the blocks. Obfuscated servers are available for all of their apps, so no matter what device you’re using, you’ll get it to work.
How to use NordVPN in China?
If you intend to use a VPN in China, make sure to download it and set everything up before you enter the country. That’s because most of the VPN pages are blocked and you won’t be able to install the apps on your devices.
However, once you’ve downloaded a VPN for China, our top pick is NordVPN for this, setting everything up is very easy. Here’s what you have to do:
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Download the NordVPN app and log in to your account.
- Head over to the Settings page.
- Enable the kill switch.
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Select either OpenVPN (UDP) or OpenVPN (TCP) protocol.
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Return to the servers list and select Obfuscated servers
- Now you can safely browse in China!
NordVPN not working in China? Here is how to fix it
Since the Chinese government constantly evolves their tools to prevent the use of VPNs, it may happen that one day you won’t be able to connect to your usual VPN server. If the IP address you used with a VPN will be identified as going through a VPN tunnel, then that IP will be blocked and you won’t be able to use it anymore.
Luckily, NordVPN constantly works on upgrading its servers to be a reliable solution for safely browsing online in China. However, if you encounter any connection issues, here’s what you should do:
- Make sure you’re connected to an obfuscated server
- Change tunneling protocols
- Change between different servers available
Conclusion
NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that works in China. Even with constantly updated VPN blocking technologies, this VPN is consistently updated and upgraded to bypass the Great Firewall and other internet restrictions.
With NordVPN, you can safely and anonymously browse the internet. You can also access censored and geo-blocked content.
All you need is to get the NordVPN app set up before you get to China, connect to an obfuscated server to better mask your connection, and enjoy safe and unrestricted browsing online.
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FAQ
Does NordVPN work in China?
Yes, NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that work in China. There might be periods when this VPN might have some issues with connecting to certain servers if they have been identified as a VPN tunnel and blocked. However, the team constantly works with developing and upgrading their tech to bypass the Great Firewall.
Is NordVPN banned in China?
No, NordVPN isn’t banned, but it, just like all Western VPN service providers, is restricted. NordVPN is among the pages that are inaccessible from mainland China, but that doesn’t mean that it’s banned as a service and wouldn’t work when using their products.
Is it legal to use a VPN in China?
It’s illegal to offer VPN services in China. Also, it’s illegal to use a VPN to access blocked websites or use it for illegal purposes. However, you shouldn’t have any issues with simply having a VPN on your device, as long as you don’t break any laws.
Do free VPNs work in China?
No, free VPNs don’t have the resources to battle the Great Firewall of China. You won’t find an option that is respectful of your privacy and works in China, and for free of charge.
Comments
I'm in china and Nord is not working. No matter what settings I set. Are the servers still up?
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