How to Access the Internet in China as a Tourist: VPNs or eSIMs for Google, Instagram, WhatsApp and more

China's internet landscape is unique, presenting a challenge for tourists used to accessing platforms like Google, YouTube, and Facebook. The "Great Firewall" (GFW) blocks direct access to these services.

We have travelled to China many times and have found different ways to stay connected and entertained. We share in this guide our actual experience and solutions that will work for you based on your needs.

What Apps and Websites are Blocked in China?

For the purpose of this post, “Overseas Apps” refer to Apps and websites with ❌.

Service Provider and Network Operator

The Service Provider (SP) sells internet services to you (eg. data, calls, sms). They sell you the SIM card or eSIM for your phone to access their services.

The Network Operator operates the underlying infrastructure (eg. fiber optic cables, cell towers).

In many cases, your service provider and network operator are the same company. However, this changes with Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Here are some examples:

How your data is routed is determined by your SP, not the Network Operator. When you travel to China, your SP will connect to their preferred Chinese Network Operator partner. For example, you may see your phone connected to “China Mobile” or “China Telecom”. As long as your SP is not a China telco or MVNO, GFW will not filter your access and you will be able to access any services your SP allows.

If you buy a China SIM card from a Chinese Telco or SP, your connection wil be filtered by GFW.

To be clear, your eSIM or SIM Card will not be affected by GFW when the SP is not a local Chinese Telco. Hence, you will not need VPN to access Overseas Apps.

So buying roaming data from your own SP is the way right? Nope. Because the roaming data prices by your SP are not the best value.

Cheap Ways to buy Roaming Data for China

If your phone only accepts SIM card and not eSIM, you are out of luck, and your best choice is probably to buy roaming data from your own SP. There are not many third-party sellers that can mail you the physical SIM card.

If your phone supports eSIM, you can buy eSIM from third party resellers online for a SP that allows access to Apps and Service you need. Chinese Telcos do not offer eSIM, so we are assured that none of the eSIMs are from Chinese SPs. Here are some pricing examples:

Prices as at 31 Jan 2025. Buy more data than you usually use at home as we tend to use more data when we travel (eg. using Maps, Search, etc.). Google Maps are unreliable in China, use Apple Maps or Chinese map apps like Amaps instead.

The key benefit to purchasing eSIM is you can buy it anytime online. The QR code to load your phone with the eSIM is emailed to you (with instructions on how to load your eSIM) within an hour. I have purchased an eSIM online while I am in China, and was accessing Google within 5 mins.

Probably the only Disadvantage of using eSIM/SIM

All eSIMs come with only data, no sms, no calls and no local Chinese number. Since many people and businesses in China use WeChat to communicate, your data can be used to make calls or send messages via WeChat.

If you really need a local Chinese number, you can buy a SIM card in-person from a Chinese SP at a local store in China. There are strict regulations and registration requirements with regards to buying a SIM card. Do not try to buy local Chinese numbers online, most are unreliable and some are scams.

All local Chinese SIM cards will have their data filtered by GFW. What solutions are there to access Apps that matter to you when you have a local Chinese SIM?

Using VPN in China (Not Recommended)

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts data, making content filtering hard. IF the VPN Provider’s IP addresses are not banned, GFW has no impact. So, even if your SP is a local Chinese Telco (eg. via local SIM card), you can access Google services via a VPN Provider.

This is the same for Wifi. The Service Provider of all local Wifi access points or hotspots in China is a Chinese Telco. Hence, GFW will impact all Wifi connections. By using a VPN, you can “bypass” GFW and access Google services.

We tried a couple of VPNs while in China and their connection were not as reliable as eSIM. For the price of a 1-month VPN service, we could get more eSIM data. Get a 2nd SIM/eSIM (on top of your local Chinese SIM card) for your overseas App access instead.

We do not recommend VPN if you are only travelling in China for less than a month. However, we can see why using VPN is preferred for long term stay and recommend ExpressVPN.

TLDR

Buy an eSIM from repute Service Providers for the amount of data you want during your travel to China. Don’t bother with VPNs.

FAQs

Q1. How much data should I buy?

A1. It depends on how many days you are touring China and how heavy you use data at home. A simple of rule of thumb is to buy the amount of data you use at home for the same duration and add at least 0.5GB per day (for Maps and Search usage) in China.

If you are a heavy video media user (eg. Youtube, Netflix, Instagram, etc), you can easily hit 2GB per day. A 60-mins 720p Youtube video takes ~1GB. There is seldom a need to stream more than 720p resolution on your devices. You can also set your max video resolution to 480p in your Apps for even lesser data usage.

If you are unsure, buy the 30 days 50GB eSIM at S$30 for peace of mind.

Q2. Is it possible to get one eSIM for coverage across different countries?

A2. Yes! For example, if you are travelling to China and Korea, it is possible to get one eSIM that offers coverage for both countries (Asia). However, we prefer to get different eSIMs if we plan to spend more than 3 days in each country. It is generally a better deal to get single country eSIMs, and we can easily load each eSIM when we arrive at the country.

Q3. Which is the most reliable eSIM for data use in China?

A3. Focus on the Network Operator because they are the ones that provide the infrastructure for connectivity. The eSIM resellers will list which Chinese telco network they connect to. If they do not list it, skip it.

The major telcos in China are (ranked in network size) China Mobile > China Telecom > China Unicom. China Mobile has the best connectivity even at rural areas.

If you are travelling as a pair, you may “hedge” by buying different eSIMs that connect to different Network Operators. However, we never had issues when only using China Mobile.

Q4. Is it a good idea to buy eSIMs with “Unlimited data”?

A4. Unlimited data plans offer a daily limit (eg. 1GB) at “full speed” and “unlimited slow speed” access after that, and the limit resets with a new day. Our only complaint with such plan was how “slow” the connection was after we hit our daily limit. As such, we prefer fixed data plans so that we have “full speed” access up to our data limits.

Q5. Can I access WeChat Pay, AliPay and Chinese Apps with a non-Chinese eSIM?

A5. Yes, you can connect to both local Chinese Apps and Overseas Apps with the eSIM.

Q6. How do I connect devices with no eSIM/SIM feature (eg. iPad, laptop) for access to Overseas Apps?

A6. These devices can only connect through Wifi. Your ideal solution depends on the services you use the device for. We still favour eSIM for the reliability and the ability to connect our devices to our phone hotspot (even if this sucks the phone battery). You can you always subscribe to a VPN later while you are in China if the eSIM approach isn’t working for you.

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