It’s been a difficult number of years for Chinese citizens that want open and unblocked internet access. Starting around 2010 or so, the Chinese government began a crusade that would eventually block almost every form of modern website today–like Facebook, Google, Wikipedia, Twitter and more. The reason being is that the Chinese government wants total control over the flow of information, as well as how citizens can spread it. Now, the only websites and companies that operate within China are mostly government controlled and heavily regulated by the state.
Here at TorGuard we’ve been running mainland China servers to help Chinese users get access to local content. However, with more and more impending VPN blockades, tighter restrictions, and governmental threats–it’s become increasingly difficult to maintain user privacy and uphold uninterrupted VPN access to our mainland Chinese servers at the same time. These difficulties are the reason why TorGuard is removing all mainland China servers. However, that doesn’t mean Chinese users are locked out of our VPN service at all. In fact, Chinese users can still take advantage of fast Stealth VPN speeds in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The primary reason that TorGuard is removing Chinese servers is because we value the privacy of our users. In order to operate a server within China, companies are now required to register with the Chinese state and comply with strict website blocking and data storage requirements. TorGuard’s noncompliance in the matter is why the state now actively blocks and disrupts our servers in China making them inoperable.
How to Connect to TorGuard VPN in China in 2018
TorGuard is committed to our Chinese client base and we will continue devoting resources to expand our Stealth VPN capabilities and server footprint throughout Asia.
The following TorGuard VPN protocols are still verified working within China at the time of this writing: OpenConnect/AnyConnect SSL VPN, STunnel, SSTP, and Shadowsocks. All TorGuard users have unlimited access to our Stealth VPN network at no additional charge.
Before traveling to China it is important to pre-install any necessary VPN apps and pre-pay for VPN service because these options will be blocked once behind the great firewall. Google Play is blocked in China and Apple recently removed all VPN apps from itunes after a request from the Chinese government.
The TorGuard.net website is blocked in China, however we do provide a number of backup domains for registration. This list of websites can be obtained by contacting our chat support or support desk.
We ask all Chinese clients to report any connection issues or IP blocks to our support desk so we can mitigate these issues as soon as possible.
