Great Firewall of China and Facebook

[Flyerwin]

If you use international roaming instead of a local SIM, FB, WhatsApp, Google all work fine. Still worth installing WeChat and using that for payment etc though.

 

[SYD]

If you use international roaming instead of a local SIM, FB, WhatsApp, Google all work fine.

That includes eSIMS that are "roaming" (ie not China based - but HKG based ought to work)

Still worth installing WeChat and using that for payment etc though.

and/or AliPay. Also has the virtual metro travel cards.

 

[markis10]

That includes eSIMS that are "roaming" (ie not China based - but HKG based ought to work)

China based esims work just as well, and tend to be a lot cheaper.

 

[SYD]

China based esims work just as well, and tend to be a lot cheaper.

China telco issued or an eSIM for “China” based outside? The later definitely.

I thought I bought a China telco eSIM last visit but it was actually routing through HKG.

Surprised a Chinese issued eSIM would bypass the GFW when pretty much all hotel wifi is useless.

 

[jase05]

I’m flying to Chongqing on Sunday and will just go with my Telstra roaming, has served me well in the past

 

[kpc]

I have now been in China for 11 days, with a week to go.

Based on my personal ewperiences so far, if intending to use a VPN, setup before arriving. If buying a non Chinese data SIM, by at least double the anount you would normally use.

Set up both WeChat Pay and AliPay linked to your credit card before arrival. Wechat pay seems a little more popular than AliPay. Have seen locals pay for things in cash so have some cash handy when the bloody apps mentioned above for paying don't work.

If you don't speak and read Mandarin, I wish you well! My +1 is a native speaker, and I xould be completely at sea without her!

 

[kpc]

My VPN cannot penetrate the Great Firewall through the Hilton Xi'An wifi...only my data SIM card can...have ~ 5 GB left for remaining 6 days in China
Somehow the Hilton WiFi disconnecrs my VPN

 

[cove]

At least you have that orange sweater back in use so we can easily identify you.
It is good that your travelling partner really knows Mandarin.
I didn’t know that there are cities that are so high up from sea level.

 

[SYD]

My VPN cannot penetrate the Great Firewall through the Hilton Xi'An wifi...only my data SIM card can...have ~ 5 GB left for remaining 6 days in China
Somehow the Hilton WiFi disconnecrs my VPN

That was our experience in Beijing and Xian ie turning on VPN would disconnect hotel wifi… Only work around was using phone data.

As mentioned earlier, oddly our Shanghai hotel routed through HKG and worked without VPN (mostly).

 

[kpc]

Just to wrap up....Interesting, on connecting to the Conrad Guangzhou WiFi, there was no Firewall at all! Had lunch in a Dim Sum place in city, and there was no Firewall on their Wifi either...was able to post on FB using their WiFi

Have just over 2 GB left on my foreign registered SIM card for my last 2 days in China so am fine for rest of this trip

 

[SYD]

Just stumbled across this article looking for something else.

Travel eSIM in China: VPN Myths & Great Firewall Explained

This guide reveals how travel eSIMs allow access to social media, Google services, and more in mainland China, and explains the mechanism behind it.

esimdb.com

A key takeaway from the article:

“There is no need to go out of your way to choose an eSIM advertised as “built-in VPN” or “integrated VPN”. (This is an important point to remember!)”

 

[kpc]

As I said, in Guangzhou, the public incl hotel WiFi does not seem to have a Firewall....in Xian and Chengdu different story. At Hilton Xian, the hotel Wifi actually disabled my VPN! In future trips to China, I will just buy double the data I normally would buy...having said that, I have just under 2 GB left for today, for my last day in China (bought 20GB for trip).

 

[elanshin]

Quick question, if I use Telstra international roaming while in China, will I still need a VPN to access Facebook and WhatsApp? I already have NordVPN installed, just wondering how it works since I’ll be heading there in November.

Telstra roaming will work. Nord will not.
Most of the big named VPNs are blocked in China.

 

[elanshin]

Just stumbled across this article looking for something else.

Travel eSIM in China: VPN Myths & Great Firewall Explained

This guide reveals how travel eSIMs allow access to social media, Google services, and more in mainland China, and explains the mechanism behind it.

esimdb.com

A key takeaway from the article:

“There is no need to go out of your way to choose an eSIM advertised as “built-in VPN” or “integrated VPN”. (This is an important point to remember!)”

I think a lot of people just have no idea how roaming works in general (and to be fair it is a complicated topic). But basically if you have a roaming on, you're pretty much past the chinese firewall.

That's how a lot of the "China" sim's bypass it by using HK as a gateway. ALthough I do need to get myself a Chinese number next time I'm back. There's some QoL stuff if you go to China often that having a Chinese number provides with apps as many of them still can't recognise foreign numbers as valid inputs.

 

[SYD]

I think a lot of people just have no idea how roaming works in general (and to be fair it is a complicated topic). But basically if you have a roaming on, you're pretty much past the chinese firewall.

Yep, and you don’t need a VPN.

You see other blogs / reviewers saying they use Nord etc But when you scratch the surface, it’s so they can access Netflix etc…over data. Forget wifi, can’t rely on it. If it happens to work - bonus.

ALthough I do need to get myself a Chinese number next time I'm back. There's some QoL stuff if you go to China often that having a Chinese number provides with apps as many of them still can't recognise foreign numbers as valid inputs.

A lot of peeps (ourselves included) had that issue with AliPay. Sometimes it wants an authorisation code and the text message and app get out of sync or something and you end up in an endless loop. Rather than having both AliPay and WeChat, having two cards in AliPay eg a MC and VISA seemed to help.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Just spent 7 days in China - Vodafone $5/day roaming works perfectly on iPhone - Astrill VPN which is the only VPN most Chinese based FT expats will recommend works a treat on iPad and Laptop - I have mentioned this many times but as always YMMV