If you’re going to China, you’ll need to ensure that you’ll be able to use your favorite apps and browse websites, such as Google, with ease.
This isn’t commonly the case in China because the government restricts many apps and websites from being accessed. A VPN can help you to bypass these restrictions.
But can you download a VPN in China? If you want to use a VPN in China, make sure you download it to your devices before you enter the country.
VPNs are prohibited in China so you won’t be able to access the VPN websites once you’re there.
NordVPN is an excellent VPN to use, not just in your home country but in China, too.
This is because of how it manages to keep your online activity private, while also ensuring that your internet usage won’t be restricted.
Let’s explore what it has to offer and what you should know about it.
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Wait, Are VPNs Legal In China?
The issue of whether or not VPNs are legal to use in China is quite vague.
The reality is that the country has blocked many VPNs so they can’t be used and that’s also why many VPN companies don’t operate there.
But, there are some VPNs that are able to bypass the Great Firewall without being detected.
One of them is NordVPN. In case you’ve wondered, “Does NordVPN work in China?” but didn’t receive a clear reply, or you’ve seen conflicting reports on this topic, the truth is that it does work!
Read on to discover why it works so well in China to keep your online activity private, safe, and undetected.
NordVPN: What You Need To Know About Its Features
Here’s what you need to know about why NordVPN is such a good VPN to use in restricted countries such as China.
Excellent Encryption
Whatever device you’re using to connect to NordVPN, will establish a connection with a VPN server and then NordVPN will generate an encrypted tunnel.
How this basically works is as follows: data sent via the internet has to be split into what’s known as packets, so it will be split and then it will move through an encrypted tunnel.
When the data reaches its destination, which is the VPN server, its outer packet will be removed. This enables it to access the data.
But, the encrypted data can’t be read or understood by anyone, whether they’re hackers, internet service providers, or the government. This ensures your data privacy.
Doesn’t Slow Down Internet
While some VPNs can slow down your internet speed, this isn’t the case with NordVPN.
It ensures that you can bypass your ISP’s throttling, and that also means you won’t have to deal with bandwidth restrictions or buffering issues.
In addition, NordVPN also has a wide server coverage, which further helps to make it fast. It has over 5,400 servers in 59 countries.
Privacy
NordVPN is serious about your privacy because it has a zero-logs policy.
What this means is that none of your information is stored by the VPN, such as your traffic data, session information, bandwidth usage, IP address, or connection timestamps.
This is important because if the VPN isn’t storing any information, this means no one can gain access to it and compromise your online security.
It’s clear to see that this isn’t just important in restricted countries like China but when you’re using the internet in any part of the world.
Connect Multiple Devices
When traveling, you want to be able to connect multiple devices to the same VPN otherwise you’ll find yourself in a bind.
NordVPN is useful in this regard because it allows you to connect up to six devices at the same time, and – most importantly – for the same price.
You’ll also be able to use it on a variety of platforms, such as iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Remain Undetected
To remain undetected when using a VPN in China, you’ll want to use a VPN that makes use of obfuscated servers.
NordVPN allows you to choose its obfuscated servers and these will enable you to bypass the banning of VPNs in China.
When you connect to these servers, VPN blocks and firewalls that are in place won’t identify that you’re using a VPN. You’ll be able to stay completely anonymous.
Kill Switch Feature
NordVPN has a Kill Switch feature. This ensures that if you lose your connection to the VPN, your device will be blocked from using the internet.
The web pages will shut down so that your data won’t be exposed. This is especially important in heavily restricted countries such as China so that your VPN usage won’t get detected by anyone.
CyberSec Feature
By using NordVPN, you can make use of the CyberSec feature.
This is a technology that blocks websites that are known for having malware and phishing scams on them, and it also has an ad-blocker that prevents ads from interrupting your browsing session.
This also makes you enjoy faster browsing speeds.
Prevents Government Interference
NordVPN works so well in China because of its obfuscated servers, as mentioned earlier, but also because it doesn’t have any servers in the location.
This means that the VPN doesn’t have to agree to China’s data retention laws and this also prevents government interference.
What About Its Drawbacks?
While NordVPN does have some great features in place to ensure greater privacy and security when you use the internet, even in countries like China, there are some potential drawbacks to know about.
- The major one that comes up is that the VPN doesn’t have a customer support phone line you can call if you encounter any problems. However, it does have live chat and email support features.
- For some people, NordVPN might be a bit more expensive than other VPNs. It costs $11.95 per month, or you can choose to pay $119 annually. Note that although NordVPN sometimes puts its annual plan at a reduced rate, you’ll probably still have to pay $199 when the subscription is renewed. However, it’s still good to keep an eye out for any reduced rates.
Should You Use A VPN In China?
There are many good reasons why you should use a VPN in China. These include the following:
- You can hide your IP address and online activity so that you can’t be tracked or monitored by the Chinese government or snoopers. The government owns all the internet service providers in the country and therefore has the means to monitor what information people in the country are accessing.
- You will be able to make contact with loved ones back home or elsewhere in the world by using the messaging apps and social media websites that you’re used to – popular ones like Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp are all blocked in China. Using a VPN will enable you to bypass those restrictions.
- You’ll be able to bypass restrictions placed on other websites. It’s not just some websites and messaging apps that are blocked, but also content in the form of Netflix, Hulu, and many others. Some of the major websites that are completely blocked in China include BBC, CNN, Wikipedia, YouTube, Slack, and Twitch. This means that not only are your messaging apps and popular social media platforms going to be unavailable, but also many news and other informative websites. This can make you feel high and dry, and quite isolated when traveling to China. But, using a VPN will prevent that.
You’ll be able to find many VPNs that are of high quality and are safe for use in China.
In fact, they usually even have special features that are specially designed to ensure that they can work in countries that have online restrictions.
But, since VPNs are prohibited in China, you have to ensure that you’re careful. If you’re caught using a VPN, you could end up having to pay a hefty fine.
Related Questions
What is the Great Firewall of China?
This is the name for a variety of censorship tools that the government in China uses to restrict, and sometimes prohibit internet access. It’s also known as the Golden Shield project.
What Are The Steps To Connect To NordVPN’s Obfuscated Servers?
In the NordVPN app, go to “Settings,” then choose “Auto-connect.” While using the OpenVPN protocol, choose “Advanced.” Toggle the button next to “Obfuscated servers.”
Then, go back to the world map and click “Quick connect”.
Conclusion
If you’re going to be spending time in China, you might worry that with all the country’s online restrictions you’re not going to be able to use the internet much.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t. You just have to ensure you use a reliable VPN, such as NordVPN.
As we’ve outlined in this article, NordVPN is not just ideal for when you want to bypass censorship laws in countries such as China to be able to access websites and apps, but it has such great features to boost your online privacy that you’ll also want to use it in your home country.
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