China Travel Tips: How to get on the internet
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Getting online and using your favourite websites and apps in China can be a pain in the behind and has not gotten easier over the years. Ed and Jessica of ChinaTalk explain how to solve these challenges.
Is it possible to buy these sim cards prior to arriving in China?
Normally not. I have read about one company selling sims, Nihao Mobile, that can deliver them to your hotel in China. But I cannot vouch for them as I never used them and see some different opinions online.
Recently we have had good experiences with eSims (e.g. Airalo). People in our travel groups who had compatible phones had a good experience with them and did not need a separate VPN anymore either.
Thanks for the nice video and information ❤
Can I use VPN on a portable data device? Not a phone.
I know it works on phones, desktops, laptops, tablets ... don't know about other devices.
I have wechat installed in australia and looking to use it for paying for items and restaurants in china. This is connected to my hsbc account. If buying a chinese sim card will my wechat still work.
If your WeChat already works it should still work if you are on wifi or a local Sim card. I use WeChat at home on wifi and a Dutch SIM card and in China on accommodation wifi and Chinese Sim Card.
Thanks a lot for the great sharing. We will arrive at Beijing Airport around 5 am. Is it possible to buy a Sim card? Is the shop already open? Heard that this is possible at some big airport?
Yes, there should be a desk of at least one telecom company.
However, if your phone can handle eSims its nowadays even easier to get an eSim bundle (e.g. Airalo). You don't need a Sim anymore in that case and also have an integrated VPN.
Can we use iPhone text and call feature with pocket hotspots WiFi?
Sorry, not an iPhone user so I'm not sure.
Is it possible to purchase these prepaid sim cards on a website prior to arriving at the airport?
I think there is a service called Nihao Mobile that sells prepaid cards but you would still need to have them delivered to a Chinese address (e.g. hotel).
Nowadays, if your phone allows it, you can also use an e-sim service like Airalo.
I have a 13 hour layover in Guangzhou, would it be worth it to get internet there and how should I get it?
If it's worth to go on the internet depends on what you want to do there. ;-)
In your case I would advise to get an e-sim databundle (we use Airalo with out groups). In that case you have mobile internet including a VPN.
Great sharing thx! Can you share the vpn that can be used in China now?
The one I used recently that worked best was Astrill. But this site also has some test data: cc.greatfire.org/en
Hey man I’m visiting China end of this month for 3 days. I’m from New Zealand , I’ve downloaded WeChat, alipay, ExpressVPN. Would u suggest anymore apps? There’s also a 7 day free trial for ExpressVPN but I wana activate it the day before I leave to go to China. Will I have to change my sim card to a Chinese sim card in order for my VPN to work or can I leave it on my normal sim card from nz.
If you have eSim functionality you can use eSim software like Airalo. In that case you neither need a local SIM nor a VPN. As far as VPNs are concerned, I've been using LetsVPN lately. Works better and cheaper than ExpressVPN nowadays.
I don't recommend using your home SIM because roaming data charges might be very high (check with your provider). Hope this helps.
@@ChinaTalkNL I’m wanting to use social media apps like instagram , FB only through vpn I can ?
Correct. So make sure you either use an eSim with integrated VPN or a separate VPN tool like Astril, ExpressVPN or LetsVPN. Stay away from free VPNs.
@@ChinaTalkNL cool. I’ve chosen to stick with airalo I’m only going for 3 days in China and I need only enough gigs for that much time. As soon as I buy the digital E-Sim on airalo , soon as I touch down in Shanghai I can use my phone as normal? I won’t need to do anything else ( So much help thank you.
As far as I know you just need to turn it on/activate it when you land. But for questions about the use of Airalo, please check their website. ;-)
Welke VPN is op dit moment de beste? Hoe verbind ik?
Verbinden kan via elke internetverbinding (mobile of wifi). Gebruik van de apps wijzen zichzelf uit. Let op dat in China VPNs soms slecht werken op sommige wifi netwerken. b.v. in hotels. Mobile internet werkt meestal het beste.
Best presterende VPNs in China worden hier geëvalueerd: cc.greatfire.org/en
Great video! Very informative :)
Glad it was helpful!
Great video! Have you use Express VPN? and how did it work?
Pre-covid I used both Astrill and ExpressVPN. After having problems with Astril I switched to ExpressVPN, which was fine at the time. But on my first post-covid visit to China in last June/July ExpressVPN was very unstable at best or connected but did not work properly at all. I switched back to Astrill, which worked fine now. When going back I think I will stick to Astrill or try something new. I hear many complaints about using ExpressVPN in China.
@@ChinaTalkNLhi thank you for the informative video. So are you using only Astrill VPN now or more? Will there be problems having multiple VPNs installed on the iPhone?
I don't think its a problem having multiple VPNs on your phone. I've had 2 or 3 most of the time. I tend to have at least two in case one doesn't work. I've heard good things about LetsVPN, but I don't like that lack of transparency in their pricing (you are only told what it costs after a trial period and I've seen different users get different prices for the same services). Astrill is very expensive though, so I'll probably use these two on my next visit and see what works best.
can you use esim in china or just the actual SIM card?
If your phone allows it, you can use esims. After making this video a few years ago we recently fgot in contact with Airalo and found that not only do their e-Sims works very well in China, you also don't need a separate VPN anymore.
What if Chinese government finds someone accessing foreign internet through VPN for using Facebook and Google , Is there any punishment or something for them ? (For Chinese people)
I personally have never heard of many such cases with Han Chinese. I can only remember one such case in the past 10 years and in that case the person had rubbed the government the wrong way with other things.
Now, if you are a certain ethnic minority in a western province using a VPN could definitely get you in trouble.
Vpn usage is not illegal. The fact that they block various vpn is just a limiting approach. The absence of support makes it appear illegal, but reality is that it is not illegal
Thank you very thorough.
Or just buy an eSIM before you go.
Yes, that's what we suggest people to do nowadays. But not all phones have eSim functionality. In our tour groups there is always at least 20-30% of people that can't use eSim.