What the Great Firewall Actually Blocks (The Complete List)
China's internet filtering system (colloquially called the Great Firewall) blocks a wider range of services than most travellers expect. The core list that affects almost every Western visitor includes Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, all Google Workspace tools, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and X, Telegram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, and most Western news websites including the BBC, New York Times, and Guardian.
Less obvious but equally blocked: Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive (in some configurations), Slack, Discord, many VPN provider websites themselves, and a significant portion of the broader web infrastructure that underlies services you may not think of as distinct applications, Google Analytics for instance, which means websites that rely heavily on Google-hosted scripts load slowly or partially even with a VPN active.
Not blocked: Chinese domestic alternatives to most of these services, which are covered below. Also not blocked: most commercial messaging tools with business applications (Microsoft Teams tends to function more reliably than consumer platforms), Zoom (intermittently), LinkedIn (intermittently), and the Apple App Store (accessible, though some app availability differs by region).
The Great Firewall overview and VPN reality for China visitors page maintains a more frequently updated list with current status, since the blocking landscape shifts without announcement.
Is Using a VPN Illegal for Foreign Visitors? The Real Legal Position
This is the question that generates the most confused and inconsistent advice online. The honest answer is: technically ambiguous, practically low-risk for short-stay foreign tourists, with no documented cases of a foreign visitor being prosecuted solely for using a VPN for personal communications.
Chinese law prohibits operating an unauthorised VPN service within China and prohibits using VPNs to access content that violates Chinese law, which in theory covers most of what the Firewall blocks. In practice, the enforcement priority has been directed at Chinese citizens and at businesses operating VPN services commercially within China, not at foreign tourists accessing Instagram or Gmail on a personal device.
Foreign nationals in China have been asked to delete VPN apps during certain politically sensitive periods (events that draw additional scrutiny, major party congresses, specific anniversary dates), but the risk during an ordinary tourist visit is very low. Caution is appropriate: do not discuss VPN use loudly, do not use a VPN on devices used for sensitive professional activities that could attract business-level scrutiny, and be aware that enforcement posture can change quickly in specific windows.
The risk that most VPN advice overstates: prosecution of individual foreign tourists. The risk that most VPN advice understates: VPNs often work poorly or intermittently in China, particularly around politically sensitive periods.
VPN Types That Work in China: Protocols That Resist Blocking
Standard VPN protocols (OpenVPN, L2TP, IKEv2 in their default configurations) are usually blocked or heavily throttled in China. The Firewall has become sophisticated at detecting and degrading standard VPN traffic, which is why the experience of a VPN that works perfectly at home often produces unusable speeds inside China.
The protocols that perform better in China use obfuscation techniques to disguise VPN traffic as ordinary HTTPS web browsing. These are variously marketed as "stealth mode," "obfuscated servers," or proprietary protocol names depending on the provider. ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol, Astrill's StealthVPN mode, and NordVPN's Obfuscated Servers are among the options with reasonable track records inside China, though performance varies by city and time of year.
Protocol selection matters more than brand. A well-known consumer VPN using standard OpenVPN will usually fail inside China. A less well-known service with genuine obfuscation implemented well may outperform it significantly.
Why You Must Install Before You Arrive
This point cannot be overstated: install and test your VPN before your flight lands. Once you are on a Chinese mobile network or hotel WiFi, most VPN provider websites are blocked, making it impossible to download or purchase the software you need. The configuration files for some services are also hosted on servers that are blocked from within China.
The setup sequence is: choose a provider, install the app, confirm it connects successfully, and optionally download server configurations for manual setup, all while you are still in your home country. On the flight from London to Shanghai, your phone should already have a functioning VPN installed and tested.
A second practical consideration: your phone's SIM affects VPN performance. Hotel WiFi in major cities is frequently throttled more aggressively than mobile data. A local Chinese SIM card (available at airports) often provides a more stable base connection for VPN use, even when filtering is applied.
Chinese Apps That Replace Western Ones
A working VPN is not the only or even necessarily the best approach to the connectivity challenge. For many functions, Chinese alternatives work without any workaround and often work better within China because they are on domestic infrastructure.
WeChat replaces WhatsApp, iMessage alternatives, and for many users Facebook Messenger. It has voice and video call functions, document sharing, moments (a feed equivalent to Instagram Stories), and a payment wallet. That makes it a more integrated communication tool than the apps it replaces for most travel purposes.
Baidu Maps works well for navigation within China, arguably better than a VPN-based Google Maps because it has more current data on Chinese road conditions, transit routes, and Points of Interest. DiDi is the dominant ride-hail app, with an English-language mode that works smoothly in major cities.
WeChat functions as a platform for hundreds of mini-apps and services that replace other Western applications, from food delivery to translation tools to museum ticket booking. Getting comfortable with it before you arrive (even at a basic level) significantly reduces the friction of everyday life in China.
Working Without a VPN: The Minimalist Approach
If a VPN proves unreliable or you decide the setup friction is not worth it, China is navigable without one if you adjust your digital habits before departure. The practical steps are:
Download all maps, entertainment, and work files offline before your flight. Netflix downloads, Spotify offline playlists, Google Maps offline areas, and any PDFs or documents you need all work without a connection once cached.
Set up WeChat and Baidu Maps (which both work without a VPN) as your primary communication and navigation tools for the duration of the trip.
Accept that email via Gmail will not work and either switch to a non-blocked provider for the trip or use a web interface on the Gmail website via HTTPS, which is partially throttled but occasionally usable.
For travellers who are not professionally reliant on Google Workspace or real-time social media, this minimalist approach actually works reasonably well for a short trip.
Internet Speed and Quality Once the VPN Is Running
Even with an obfuscated VPN running, expect reduced speeds compared to what you are accustomed to at home. A connection that would normally yield 50 Mbps will often deliver 5-15 Mbps through a VPN in China — sufficient for streaming, video calls, and normal browsing, but noticeably slower and with occasional reconnections.
The time of day matters: evening hours in major Chinese cities tend to see higher traffic on international internet links, which compounds VPN latency. Working in the morning before 10am local time tends to produce better VPN performance.
