You can even use it if you’re aiming to bypass Netflix’s geo-restrictions. ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that still allow you to enjoy Netflix US and UK from anywhere in the world. Long story short, ExpressVPN is a service you can trust. Even at crucial moments during official investigations, authorities were unable to find any relevant data on ExpressVPN servers. However, censorship can take all the fun out of services such as ExpressVPN. Take China, for instance, which has one of the most repressive Internet rules. Not only it forbids its citizens to use VPNs, but reportedly also sanctions them if found guilty.

Can VPN be used in China?

Yes, you can still use a VPN in China. There’s a popular misconception nowadays that you can’t use a VPN while in China. Wrong. You can use a VPN, only it has to be a government-approved one. For this reason, access to the official websites of popular VPNs like ExpressVPN or NordVPN is not permitted in China. Using a Government-approved VPN means that your data will not be 100% private and encrypted, because these do actually keep user activity logs, that’s why they’re approved. Since China is against any form of criticism against its government or leading parties, you could expect nothing short of being monitored through government-approved VPNs.

The Great Firewall of China

Like we said just a while back, China is not very keen on Internet freedom. As a result, a lot of publications get censored and citizens are only allowed access to certain materials online. This affects both publishers and those who merely want to view publications online. On top of that, the Chinese government also enforced strict individual monitoring. Thus, without the proper tools, authorities or ISPs could easily snoop on your online whereabouts. And without an issue, too, since they have the legal frame to do so. Thus, it makes sense why certain, non-government-approved VPNs, which are virtual rockstars when it comes to securing your online privacy, were banned. Citizens can no longer rely on these services to cloak their online activity or bypass censorship. Fortunately, services such as ExpressVPN still do a pretty good job when it comes to establishing secure tunnels from deep within China to the rest of the world. And the best part is that it wasn’t compromised by government-imposed backdoors.

Does ExpressVPN still work in China in 2022?

Even though it was banned a few years back, ExpressVPN still continues to work on Chinese territory. However, there’s a downside to this situation. Since the service is banned, you can’t sign up for it while in China. Or access the service’s website altogether, for that matter. However, there are a few workarounds if you want to use ExpressVPN (one of the most trustworthy VPNs) from China.

1. Sign up for ExpressVPN outside of China (if possible)

This is the most inconvenient way to get ExpressVPN in China if you’re currently living there. You know, since it implies you have to leave the country and all that. However, if you’re about to make a trip to China and want some Internet freedom, you could sign up for ExpressVPN just before you leave. Just make sure you take all the steps above before you leave. Otherwise, you might be unable to sign up for the service and access it without limitation.

2. Use mirror sites to sign up for ExpressVPN

There are some mirror websites online that you can use to access and sign up for ExpressVPN, even if you’re already in China. The downside is that the Chinese authorities are quick about blocking them, so you have to identify them in a timely fashion. For obvious reasons, we can’t share them with you here, since it could be a matter of time before they’ll be taken down. However, we’re positively sure you can find a few such links if you look carefully enough.

3. Use Tor to access the ExpressVPN onion sites

Tor has been around for a while and is still used to access onion services from your PC. The good news is that ExpressVPN has launched an onion website a while back, which you can access with Tor. The downside is that GFW (the Great Firewall of China) actively blocks Tor, so you might not be able to perform this task too easily. Thus, you might need to find Tor mirror websites to download the service and anonymize your connection.

How to use ExpressVPN safely while in China

1. Enable automatic VPN protection

By default, ExpressVPN will launch upon system startup. However, it won’t enable VPN protection by default. Thus, it’s quite important that you get to enable it, so that every time you boot your PC, your connection will be secure and your privacy will remain, well, private. You can find the automatic protection in the Preferences/Options menu, under the General section. Just toggle the Launch ExpressVPN on startup and Connect to the last used location options and you should be fine.

2. Activate the ExpressVPN kill switch

In the same section we’ve discussed in step 1, make sure to enable the kill switch feature (also known as Network Lock). This awesome option will ensure that even if your VPN connection drops, your real location, IP address, and other sensitive data won’t leak. What a kill switch does is detect whether or not the VPN connection is active. If it is, the Internet works as it should. If the VPN connection is lost, the kill switch blocks access to your default, insecure connection.

3. Enable IPv6 and DNS leak prevention

While you’re in the Options window, navigate to the Advanced tab. Once you’re there, make sure to toggle the IPv6 address detection prevention. This will make sure that your ISP (or another third party) won’t be able to pinpoint you using leaked IPv6 info. More so, you can also prevent DNS leaks by making the service use ExpressVPN DNS servers exclusively. Thus, your ISP won’t be able to detect you due to unfortunate DNS leaks while using the service.

How do I download ExpressVPN on my iPhone in China?

As mentioned, the ExpressVPN official website is blocked in China and the mobile app is of course not available in the Appstore there. For that reason, we recommend using a mobile proxy and then browsing for the ExpressVPN app. The ExpressVPN team also recommends changing your Appstore location. Pick a location where ExpressVPN is not restricted, such as the United States. Now open the AppStore and type ExpressVPN in the search bar. You should be able to download it without much hassle at this point. There are mirror websites with download links for the iOS app too, but you have to make sure that they are trustworthy.

Other VPNs that work in China

Private Internet Access – huge server network and military-grade encryption CyberGhost – easy to use and capable to bypass Chinese restrictions NordVPN – thousands of servers and untraceable connections thanks to obfuscation Surfshark – multi-hop feature to hide your data completely and stay anonymous online VyprVPN – Powerful and fast VPN with Chameleon protocol included (recommended for China)

ExpressVPN still works in China, but you should be careful

To wrap it up nicely, ExpressVPN still works excellently in China. However, if you really want to use it, you might need to perform a whole batch of operations, since the Chinese government still makes huge efforts to block this service on its territory. Even if you managed to sign up, purchase a subscription, and install ExpressVPN on your device, the battle is far from over. So make sure you take all the necessary precautions as we’ve detailed above to make sure you keep the detection rate at a minimum. You just connect to an appropriate server (matching the country of the restricted service) and you’re all set.

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