So I’ve been approached by a couple of colleagues as to what VPN I use, and how I can access YouTube and Instagram and stuff.
I want to emphasize that they’re not asking me this with any ulterior motives, they just simply asking how they can do it themselves.
Simply put, I really don’t know how to explain to them how to do it besides transferring the app from my computer to phone and I’m definitely not going to do this for them.
There’s always the question of legal matter and what kind of trouble I’d be putting myself in with this situation.
Idk I want to be helpful but the last thing I need is for me to send a file through QQ to my coworker and it gets flagged because it’s a public school Wi-Fi and authorities get involved blah blah blah.
lol I have sent vpns to dozens of Chinese people here. A lot use shit vpns they can literally download from the internet here and want a better one like I use.
I wouldn’t send it to a stranger. But if it’s someone you know, literally nothing will happen. People here get so paranoid sometimes. Like you’re sending it to one or two people. Not advertising it online.
Also, high end hotels, universities and any company that does anything related to the outside world has VPNs. So if you’re as paranoid as everyone here. You can tell them to go to one of these places and download one themselves. Or just set up a shadowsocks vpn in your office , just tell them to do it. Not you.
Just give them the website as a picture, and let them figure it out themselves.
I presume you have VPN, you can go to https://github.com/2dust/v2rayNG and then the link under “About”. Currently it’s https://1.2345345.xyz - when you click it it asked you to go to a new link, currently https://9.234456.xyz/abc.html?t=567
Now that links will give you a Chinese page with quite a lot of links, 50 or so. Going rate seems to be ~RMB 10/ month
The links are typically just login pages with no information. A bit cryptic, but they probably need to avoid the blocks. Since all links aim at Chinese users I presume all work well in China.
Which city are you from? Most Chinese I know living in Shanghai use VPN that are cheaper and faster than the one most laowai use such as Astrill 
One of my Chinese teachers who teaches us management , thought the whole time international students have a different internet service and that’s why we can use every app and website blocked in China lol 
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I haven’t heard of any cases of foreigners getting into trouble apart from when the Anfu Lu protests happened but that was more a case of them trying to get a bunch of foreigners on something and this was the excuse. Similarly, foreign companies have been dinged in China for having VPNs without a license installed for everyone in the office (Mintz Group was one of them). You, given that you are just a regular joe, probably have little reason to worry.
The question therefor is more what could or might happen to Chinese coworkers if you sent them this info via wechat, even as a picture. The answer is of course that one doesn’t know, which is the intention. But if they got detained, if they got fined, if they had that on their record, which does not go away in China, how would you feel? For reasons like that I’d rather answer those questions in person, leaving no digital crumbs that could get them in any trouble. Just talk, don’t write. You don’t have to make it easy for anyone wanting to cause trouble.
If you do want to help them by transferring the vpn app to their devices, at least transfer the data through local area network. Wechat, qq those apps’ traffic going through public channel is heavily censored. You can transfer the data through Bluetooth or using apps like localsend.
老王vpn is free of charge as always
Why do you just don’t say the name of the company. I follow a Brazilian YouTuber that lives and works in China, and uses a VPN service for recording videos.
He never made advertisements for the company he’s using, but many times he said that changed VPN services frequently.
He also mentioned that he works with members of the CCP, and he was also invited many times by Chinese government to take part in government events. He also traveled to many places in China (including Xi Jiang), and also left China and returned several times… aaaaaaaand, as of today he’s alive, keeps working, is not in jail, etc, etc, etc…
In my personal case when traveling to China I used 2 VPN services (Le VPN and one personal I have running at home in Europe). Once in China I got a China Mobile SIM card (randomly chosen because was the closest one to the Oriental Pearl tower in Shanghai).
Both VPN services worked. And even Chinese people told me to use a VPN to get some information on the net.
Anyways, this “oh my God, I’m going to the gulag for using VPN in China” is bullsh1t.
i used simplelink vpn last time i was in china
If you live in a coastal area, the police are less likely to make trouble because the government has a good income and the performance goals for the police department will not be on this trivial matter.
On the other hand, in some relatively backward areas inland, arresting VPN users may be one of the targets.
This isn’t an issue, if you want to play it safe just transfer it to a usb and send it that way. Also you can just show them screenshots from the App Store. I know WeChat is highly censored but I think you’re overthinking this. AND most Chinese people can find their own way to get vpn, there’s a ton of them on Taobao, idk why they would even ask in the first place.
I don’t know what kinda co workers these are… Usually people I know in China if they want it enough they usually already know how to get it. Been here for 8 years haven’t met one single people asking me how to do it. In fact one of the local told me about the VPN I am using
I know of a few Chinese VPN providers caught doing business on Wechat and sent to ‘reeducation’ camps. Foreigners using VPNs is fine, locals using them is not. Crappy double standards I know. But to be safe I don’t recommend VPNs to any of the locals. If they get caught using it, or saying something online about China not deemed politically correct, or because of a DNS leek get caught watching porn or something, it could come back to bite you in the ass.
Trust them at your own risk. Being a team player isn’t a mainland Chinese’s strength
clash is good, and find a cheap web to buy node
I’ve seen MiHoYo live stream music events that happen in Mainland China to both overseas platforms (YouTube) as well as CN platforms (Bilibili) simultaneously. Could be the use of VPNs to do this, so I don’t see why this wouldn’t be a problem.
It’s hard for normal Chinese people to get first VPN. It’s also illegal. But simply, the law enforcement efforts is definitely weak.
So just decide by yourself.
Any communication caught between Chinese and non Chinese people about VPN will put you at risk. This is really serious shit.
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