Traveling to China

I mean it's one of those things where if they don't find out then nothing will happen. Officially it is illegal I think. But if you avoid trouble with the authorities then the chances of them knowing are slim to none. Many foreigners use vpn without issue.

grulle said:

Just buy a VPN before you go. In fact, having a VPN is pretty much a must when in China.

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Sorry for dumb question. What does buy a VPN mean? Is it a VPN app on phone or VPN software for laptop some of which are free download? I hope it is not some sort of hardware.

Given that I need access to my overseas bank account. It is a must for me.

Dolcevita said:

Sorry for dumb question. What does buy a VPN mean? Is it a VPN app on phone or VPN software for laptop some of which are free download? I hope it is not some sort of hardware.

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A VPN is a software that encrypts your internet connection. You can choose to connect to various servers around the world. For example if you are in Canada and you connect to a USA server, then websites will see your connection as coming from the US. You can access USA exclusive content meant only for USA people. Using a VPN allows you to bypass the Great China Firewall and allows you to access websites blocked by the firewall. Most VPN cost 12 USD per month. ProtonVPN has a free plan, you just can't pick the servers, it picks one for you everytime you connect. You download the software from their website, in the app store on your phone too. Check out ExpressVPN too, but this one is premium only.

grulle said:

I mean it's one of those things where if they don't find out then nothing will happen. Officially it is illegal I think. But if you avoid trouble with the authorities then the chances of them knowing are slim to none. Many foreigners use vpn without issue.

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The authorities actually know that we use VPNs because they can learn from your network operator which websites you visit, including those they ban. They will only arrest you if you use VPN to make statements in support of splitting up Chinese territory and cause adverse effects.

Dolcevita said:

Sorry for dumb question. What does buy a VPN mean? Is it a VPN app on phone or VPN software for laptop some of which are free download? I hope it is not some sort of hardware.

Given that I need access to my overseas bank account. It is a must for me.

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I doubt the authority blocked any financial institutions.

dingzhen said:

I have been using VPN for 6-7 years and MSS has never invited me for afternoon tea. They are so stingy.

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I know that, my question is whether it is legal?

antiterror13 said:

I know that, my question is whether it is legal?

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I don't know if using VPN is illegal, but for many years there has been no case of being arrested for simply using VPN, so Chinese netizens assume that it is not illegal, or this law has never been seriously enforced.
Providing VPN services in China must be reviewed because some universities and companies need to use VPN to communicate with foreigners. It is illegal to privately build a VPN server, so many small VPN companies will put the server in Hong Kong

grulle said:

is it a hassle to add your visa card to alipay? I heard they ask for your passport or something.

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Alipay supports Visa and Mastercard now, you can link directly

antiterror13 said:

But there is hardly any cash transaction anymore in China .. even the street vendors have weechat code for payment

The last time I went to China was just before the pandemic, went to Harbin for International Ice Festival Jan 2020, at that time cash was still been used and there were ATM everywhere where you could withdraw Chinese Yuan

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Its illegal to refuse cash payment. How do i know this? Because while waiting to update my details at the bank the infomercial was playing '拒绝现金，违法行为' on repeat.

antiterror13 said:

is it legal of using VPN in China ?

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If it is someone should really tell Huawei because the vpn im using currently is installed from their app store. Also, if anyone is already in china and are looking for vpn services dont bother searching 'vpn' search for '加速器' instead.

Dolcevita said:

I am not even sure if I can still access my overseas online accounts from China? It would suck if I can't.

I will need access to my overseas online account to fund my China bank account.

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I highly recommend LetsVPN (subscribe + install software on your laptop and phone before leaving your country). ExpressVPN and NordVPN does not work reliably in China.

I used LetsVPN in China for 6 months, it works great as recently as 1 month ago. Others recommend AstrillVPN, which is more costly.

As for legality, technically, it's not legal. In practicality, so long as you aren't doing illegal things on VPN , you should be okay.