The Chinese Great Firewall puts many VPNs to the test. It’s the strongest censorship measure in the world, blocking thousands of websites, applications, and services. In addition, this firewall blocks VPN sites and apps, preventing many users with VPNs from properly enjoying the internet. On the market, there are hundreds of services, yet, very few of them can bypass the Great Firewall of China. Does Surfshark work in China in 2024, though? Well, as a cheap and affordable service, it’s quite surprising that this provider actually works decently.
However, as is the case with almost every service in this country, you need to know a few things before you can use it. In this guide, we’ll address all of these things and tell you exactly how to use Surfshark VPN in China to make it work reliably and with no problems.
How to Use Surfshark VPN in China? Do This!
Is Surfshark VPN working in China in 2024? The answer is YES. If you’re in a hurry and are too lazy to read, you can use the provider in China with the NoBorders mode. Not sure how to do that? We divulge the steps below:
- Subscribe to Surfshark VPN. Take advantage of its exclusive discount through the button below and receive a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Download and install Surfshark onto your device.
- Open the app and then sign in using your email and password.
- In the app, navigate to Settings and enable NoBorders and Kill Switch.
- Connect to a server of your choice and go online anonymously!
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Table of Contents
Surfshark VPN in China: Why Should You Use It in 2024?
Even if you don’t live in this country, you know that China is severely censored. People residing in this country are unable to access sites like Facebook, Google, YouTube, Gmail, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and other popular sites and platforms.
This is due to the censorship, with which the authorities control the internet space in the country. The Great Firewall blocks many other sites, even including educational sites like Wikipedia, where you can get useful information about many things.
Even worse is the fact that government surveillance is at its peak. People in this country are under constant surveillance from the authorities and their online activities are monitored and recorded. As such, maintaining privacy is impossible.
One example of that would be spying on your conversations. Indeed, Chinese authorities can read your messages or listen to/watch your audio/video calls through Skype TOM, which is a Chinese version of Skype that allows the authorities to monitor your conversations.
In my recent article about VoIP services in Iran, I stated that they’re blocked in the country. Well, it’s the same in China, as apps like Viber and WhatsApp, encrypted messaging, and VoIP services, aren’t available. This is further exacerbated by decayed freedom of speech which can put you in jeopardy for saying anything that the government doesn’t like.
The great news is that people can use Surfshark VPN in China to avoid all of these issues. A VPN like this will encrypt your traffic and hide your original IP address, changing it to another IP somewhere else. This allows you to remain anonymous online and bypass firewall restrictions.
By using it, you’ll be able to access all social media sites, watch movies and shows on Netflix US, and enjoy the freedom of speech. Your personal data and whereabouts will be hidden from the authorities and thanks to a no-logging policy, no one will be able to track your online activities.
How to Use Surfshark VPN in China
So, is Surfshark working in China after all? As said, yes, and in this section, we’ll show you how to use it. First of all, if you’re not a Chinese resident and you plan on traveling to the country, I strongly recommend subscribing to it and downloading it beforehand.
China blocks VPN sites as well, which means that, while in this country, you might not be able to access the site and get the VPN. I’ll explain the solution to this problem later, though. For now, let’s assume you can access the site. Here are the required steps to use Surfshark VPN in China in 2024.
1. Subscribe to Surfshark
Surfshark isn’t a free VPN, which means it requires a subscription to be used. Besides, free VPNs will not work in China, so using a premium provider is the only solution. Surfshark is really affordable and offers a 2-year plan with a special discount that you can get through the button below.
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In addition, the provider has a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans. This refund policy has no conditions and you can get refunded any time in the first 30 days for whatever reason. It’s like a free trial of Surfshark. To subscribe to the service, click on the button above and follow the steps, it’s quite simple.
You’ll need an email address, your preferred payment method, and about 2 minutes of your time. Once you subscribe, move on to the next step.
2. Install Surfshark on Your Devices
The greatest thing about this provider is that it offers unlimited simultaneous connections. I talked about that in my Surfshark analysis. This allows you to install and use the app on ANY device with no limits. Before moving to China, I strongly recommend installing the app on every device.
If you’re carrying your laptop, tablet, and smartphone, install Surfshark on all of these devices. The installation process is rather simple and it works as if you were installing any other app. On Windows/macOS, download the setup file from the site and install it.
On iOS/Android phones, simply visit your respective app store and install the app right away. I’m using Surfshark on my Windows PC and after signing in with the credentials I provided in Step 1, the app looks like this.
3. Enable the Kill Switch
Upon completing the first 2 steps, you’ll need to tweak a few settings to use Surfshark in China. First of all, we want to enable the kill switch. This security feature will disable your traffic if you lose your VPN connection to ensure no IP leaks appear.
As a result, it’ll protect your privacy all the time by preventing the Chinese authorities from detecting your IP in case the VPN connection is lost for any reason. To enable the kill switch, open Surfshark and go to Settings – it’s a small Gear icon shown in the screenshot above.
Scroll down a bit and you’ll see the option to enable the kill switch. Click on the button to enable it, after which, it’ll turn green. Now, you have the protection of a kill switch, so let’s enable the NoBorders mode.
4. Enable the NoBoders Mode
The NoBorders mode is the most important step in using Surfshark in China. It essentially masks the fact that you’re using a VPN, which allows you to bypass firewall restrictions in censored countries. To enable it, simply scroll down in Settings and find “NoBorders.”
Similarly to the kill switch, you’ll need to press the button next to it to activate it. Once the button turns green, the NoBorders mode is activated and you can proceed to the final step.
5. Connect to a VPN Server
Go back to the home screen and connect to the server you want. If you want to get an Australian IP address, connect to a server in Australia, or choose any other server you see fit. Simply click once on the country from the list and Surfshark will connect in a second or two.
You’ll get a notification that your connection is established and the connection button will turn from grey to blue. With this in place, you have a new IP address, your traffic is encrypted, and you can go online and explore the internet freely.
How Does It Work in China?
Using Surfshark in China isn’t very hard, as you can see. With all of the relevant security features enabled, you can use this provider effortlessly in this country. However, it’s vital to explain HOW the provider manages to work in China.
To explain that, I must refer to CyberGhost briefly. This provider is known for not having obfuscation, which means it can’t hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. Firewalls can easily detect VPN connections; in this case, the VPN is blocked.
That’s why CyberGhost can’t work in China – because it can’t obfuscate your VPN connection and make it look like ordinary traffic. Surfshark works differently – at least when you enable the NoBorders mode. The NoBorders mode does everything I explained.
Bypass Censorship With Surfshark VPN
It masks your VPN connection and makes it look like an ordinary connection, which tricks the Great Firewall and thus, it allows you to use the VPN with no problems. That’s why it’s vital to enable the NoBorders mode when using Surfshark in China.
Without it, it won’t work because you won’t have the help of obfuscation. Surfshark didn’t reinvent the wheel, though, as every provider needs obfuscation to work in a censored country like this. NordVPN and ExpressVPN both have some sort of obfuscation.
NordVPN has obfuscated servers, while ExpressVPN automatically applies obfuscation. Surfshark uses NoBorders mode and that’s how it works in China. All in all, you know the trick, and with NoBorders enabled, you should have no issues using this VPN in China, Iran, Turkey, and similar countries.
Surfshark Not Working in China: What Can I Do?
The Great Firewall of China can produce some headaches even for the most reliable VPNs that usually work in this country. That said, it is possible that Surfshark isn’t working in China for some people but the good news is that, usually, there is a solution.
The first thing I recommend checking out is whether or not you have enabled NoBorders and a kill switch. If that’s in place, I also recommend going to Settings and making sure that the protocol is set to Automatic. This way, you won’t force the VPN to use a particular protocol.
Surfshark supports WireGuard, for example, but it’s not great for bypassing censorship. That’s why leaving the option on Automatic is the best, as it’ll automatically choose the protocol for you to make sure it works in every scenario – even in the harshest censorship conditions.
Moving on, if the provider isn’t working and you can’t go online, try updating or restarting your app. You can also choose another server from the same or different country and see if it’ll work. Another solution that might work is clearing your browser cache and cookies.
Cookies are stored by pretty much any site you visit and they can be used to identify your real location, which contradicts your new VPN IP. By clearing them, you should be able to avoid being detected by the firewall and visit restricted sites easily.
In many cases, changing your browser can also work. If you’re using Chrome, I suggest trying Firefox, Edge, or even Brave instead. If everything fails, the easiest way to get help is to contact Surfshark’s support through live chat since it’s available 24/7.
The support team will help you set up the service and use it in China. However, if you want a bit more reliable VPN, I suggest using NordVPN. ExpressVPN will also work in China, and in my experience, it’s pretty dependable, alas, slightly less than NordVPN.
Is It Legal to Use a VPN in China?
Before wrapping up this guide, let’s answer the question regarding the legality of a VPN in China. VPNs are legal in China, although their use is heavily restricted. When talking about using Surfshark in this country, you won’t have any legal issues with the authorities.
People use VPNs in China with no repercussions. They help them unblock restricted sites and preserve the freedom of speech. However, it’s worth noting that the authorities forbid making your own VPN and selling unauthorized VPNs, for which you can get jail time.
In addition, some rumors say that the police can ask you to delete a VPN if they examine your phone on the street, for example. This isn’t a problem, as you can always download the VPN again and use it freely. In short, using a VPN in China isn’t illegal as long as you can get over the restrictions.
How to Subscribe to Surfshark in China
If you live in this country and you want to get it, or any other service, chances are you won’t be able to. The solution can be simple. You can travel to Hong Kong, an uncensored part of China where VPNs can be downloaded and used freely.
Simply go there, subscribe to Surfshark, install the apps, and get back. Alternatively, I recommend visiting some of the tourist hotels that don’t censor the internet heavily. Chances are that when connected to their network, you will be able to access VPN sites.
This should allow you to subscribe, equip your devices with the VPN app, and use them normally in the Mainland.
Conclusion
After all, does Surfshark work in China in 2024? Yes, the provider works really well thanks to the NoBorders mode that allows you to get under the radar of the Great Firewall easily. Being an affordable service, it’s quite impressive how well it works.
The great thing is that it comes with a special discount for its long-term plans and a 30-day unconditional refund policy. As a result, people can get a refund if they’re not satisfied, although it’s highly unlikely that’ll be the case.
In 2024, Surfshark is one of the best VPN providers your money can buy not only in terms of bypassing censorship but also for streaming, torrenting, and general online privacy and security.
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