Does Surfshark Work in China 2024? Bypassing the Great Firewall & VPN Ban

By Samuel Chapman

Last update: August 6, 2024

Quick Summary: Does Surfshark Work in China?

Quick Summary: Does Surfshark Work in China? 

Despite some hiccups in its service over the last year, Surfshark frequently works in China. If a normal connection doesn’t work, you might succeed with NoBorders mode or a manual WireGuard connection. You can test Surfshark with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Not many VPNs are capable of working in China. A service may be one of the best VPNs in the rest of the world, but that’s no guarantee it’ll work under China’s authoritarian government. VPNs are legal in China, but they’re heavily policed, and the Great Firewall blocks any hint of unauthorized VPN use. Given such a tough environment, does Surfshark work in China?

I set out to answer that question by combining reliable reports with my own research. In 2023 and early 2024, Surfshark’s China service deteriorated enough that its team provided regular updates and even offered refunds. It got a handle on the problem, though, and it’s now one of the best China VPNs.

In this guide, I’ll explain how to use Surfshark in China, what you can do if it doesn’t work right away, and what steps you should take before arriving on the Chinese mainland. The most important thing I can tell you before we start is to never trust just one VPN in China.Always bring at least three and download them before you go.

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Quick Guide: How to Use Surfshark in China 

The easiest way to use Surfshark in China is to subscribe to Surfshark and download it on any device you’ll be using in China. Before you arrive, you should also turn on NoBorders mode. Once in China, simply connect to a reliable VPN server outside of China — I recommend a nearby location like Japan or Nepal to get the best performance.

If the Surfshark client fails to connect even with NoBorders mode active, Surfshark recommends using a manual WireGuard connection. This also requires steps that you must complete before you enter China. The Great Firewall blocks VPN websites, so anything that requires you to access Surfshark.com has to be done before you go.

How to Set Up a Manual WireGuard Connection on Surfshark

Here’s how to set up a manual WireGuard connection on Surfshark and get the best chance of connecting in China.

• Generate a WireGuard Key Pair 
  • Log in to your Surfshark account. 
  • Click the arrow by the “VPN” section on the left, then click “manual setup.” 
  • On the page that appears, click “desktop or mobile,” then “WireGuard.” 
  • Now click “I don’t have a key pair.” 
  • Type a memorable name for your key pair and click “next.” 
  • Finally, click “generate a new key pair.” Save the key pair somewhere safe as you won’t be able to see it again here.

• Select a Server
  • After you generate your key pair, select the blue “choose a location” button. 
  • Pick a server near China — don’t pick the “fastest server” option because that’ll choose one relative to your current location, not China. 
  • Once you find a server, click the “download” arrow to the right of its name.

• Download WireGuard
  • Install the manual WireGuard application on Windows by clicking this link (the download will start immediately). On macOS, iOS or Android, you’ll need to go through the respective app store. 
  • Launch the downloaded file, then click “yes” on the pop-up. The WireGuard app will open.

• Connect to a Surfshark Server Through the WireGuard App
  • Find and click on the “import tunnel(s) from file” button in the middle of the app window. 
  • A file explorer will appear; find the file you downloaded in step two and click “open.” 
  • From now on, you can connect to Surfshark manually by clicking “activate” and disconnect by clicking “deactivate.” 
  • I strongly advise running a DNS leak test to be absolutely sure it’s working.

Can I Use Surfshark in Mainland China? 

As of now, yes! Current tests and reports indicate that Surfshark does work on the Chinese mainland. However, I need to remind you that no VPN provider is 100% reliable in China. The Great Firewall is constantly adapting, and it often targets well-known VPNs. ExpressVPN — my favorite service, as you’ll see in my ExpressVPN review — is a frequent target.

Surfshark is almost as widely known as ExpressVPN, and my Surfshark review shows that I recommend it with nearly the same level of enthusiasm. This notoriety has made it a target as well. 

For much of 2023 and some of 2024, Surfshark did not work in China at all, to the point where the app didn’t even try to connect to servers. This problem has since been fixed, and Surfshark is now one of the VPNs that are most likely to work in China. 

Surfshark’s NoBorders mode (which I’ll discuss below) and manual WireGuard connections boost its success rate, but the events of 2023 demonstrate that its team is also working behind the scenes to build and maintain a VPN app that counters Chinese censorship.

All that said, in the words of Surfshark’s own blog: “We cannot guarantee flawless access at all times due to external factors beyond our control.” Whether a VPN will work in China can be influenced by your location in the country or any recent government crackdowns. To hedge against all possibilities, head to China with at least three VPNs.

How Does Surfshark Work in China? 

Surfshark is a virtual private network that comes with all the benefits of VPN protection. Through its app, you can connect to servers located around the world. Data travels between your devices and these servers through an encrypted tunnel. Everybody else online sees the VPN server instead of you, which makes it almost impossible to connect your activities to your identity.

Another consequence of using a VPN is that anybody watching will think you’re located at the VPN server instead of your true location. The Great Firewall can only interfere with traffic if it can confirm that it originates within China. From the perspective of surveillance, your traffic starts with the VPN. If your virtual location is outside China, you can use the internet as normal.

Surfshark also has a couple of advanced security features that improve its success rate in China. Camouflage mode — available whenever you’re using the OpenVPN protocol — uses innocuous ports and metadata encryption to make your VPN traffic look like regular activity. This relatively common VPN perk is known as obfuscation or obfuscated servers.

The other important setting, NoBorders mode, isn’t a “mode” exactly. Surfshark maintains a set of servers in its network that are optimized to get around internet censorship. When NoBorders mode is active and Surfshark detects censors, it automatically switches you to one of those anti-blocking servers.

Finally, Surfshark comes with unlimited simultaneous connections, which means that a single account can cover all the devices you need to use in China.

How-To: Tips for Using Surfshark in China

You can’t guarantee that Surfshark will always work in China, but you can follow a few best practices to improve your chances.

Download Surfshark Before You Go

I know I keep harping on this, but it’s extremely important if you’re planning to visit China because the Surfshark website is often blocked in China.If you don’t have Surfshark on every device that will need it, then you won’t be able to get it once you’re there. The same goes for your other backup VPNs (which you should definitely have).

If you do happen to forget to set up the VPN app or a manual connection, don’t despair. You can email Surfshark support directly ([email protected]) and ask for a manual setup file. Gmail doesn’t work in China because all of Google is blocked, but Outlook still gets through.

Pick a VPN Server Near China

Virtual private networks perform better when you’re closer to your server location. Latency –the time it takes data to move between servers (measured by a ping in milliseconds) — is affected by physical distance, and it’s especially important for real-time activities like video chatting or games.

Surfshark has an extensive server network in East Asia. As you probably know, China is very large, so pick a server near where you plan to travel: Korea or Japan in the East, Vietnam or Singapore in the South, and so on. This won’t affect how likely Surfshark is to work in China, but it will affect how well it works if you do make it online.

Keep the Kill Switch Active

A kill switch is a non-optional safety measure for VPN users. In simple terms, a kill switch monitors your VPN connection, watching for unexpected outages. If your VPN connection drops, the kill switch instantly cuts off your web access, making sure you don’t spend a single second without a secure internet connection.

This is vital for several reasons — including countering the recent TunnelVision attack vulnerability — but it’s especially critical for China. Using an unsanctioned VPN (which includes Surfshark and all trustworthy providers) is illegal there, and if the government ever connects your identity to a non-approved VPN, you could be prosecuted.

Granted, there are currently no cases where foreign travelers have been criminally charged for using unauthorized VPNs in China, but there’s always the risk that the CCP will decide to make an example out of someone. Don’t let it be you — always turn on your kill switch, especially when you access blocked websites.

Use Camouflage and NoBorders Mode

I’ve already mentioned these two features above (see the “how does Surfshark work in China?” section), but they bear a little further analysis.

Camouflage mode is a method for foiling automatic content blocks, such as the ones that China enforces on almost all Western websites. These blocks primarily work by blocking ports associated with VPN protocols. Camouflage mode, which automatically activates when you use OpenVPN, uses the same ports as regular HTTPS traffic.

NoBorders mode automatically redirects you to whichever server is best positioned to bypass any censorship you’re facing. When combined with camouflage mode, it’s often enough to bypass the Great Firewall. NoBorders mode activates automatically when it detects censorship, but you can also turn it on manually.

Try a Manual WireGuard Connection

Since the 2023 outage period, Surfshark has told its users that manual WireGuard connections are more likely to work in China than VPN apps. The experts I know in China agree. In case your Surfshark VPN client repeatedly fails to connect, get your WireGuard key pairs and the WireGuard app before you go (see the “how to use Surfshark in China” section above).

Tunnelblick and OpenVPN are two alternative manual apps you can use, though Surfshark recommends trying WireGuard first (and so do I). If you want to use OpenVPN, you’ll need to download an OpenVPN configuration from your Surfshark account page. If you choose Tunnelblick, keep in mind that it only works on macOS.

Subscribing to Surfshark Before Entering China: Can I Access the Surfshark Website in China? 

Whether or not the Surfshark website is blocked in China can change from day to day. It’s never certain that you’ll be able to access VPN sites in China. To avoid depending on luck, download everything you need before entering China, including Surfshark’s apps, the WireGuard free VPN app and your WireGuard key pairs.

Why Is Surfshark Not Working in China? Things to Try 

If you’re in China and Surfshark doesn’t connect, try the following troubleshooting steps in order. First, try a few different servers. Your connectivity problems may stem from the VPN itself, not from the Great Firewall. Change servers within the location you’re attempting to use, and then switch locations. Don’t give up until you’ve checked at least five.

If changing servers doesn’t work, try changing protocols.If you’ve been using WireGuard, try switching to OpenVPN, which will activate camouflage mode. Check both the TCP and UDP options. IKEv2 is another possibility if neither of those work. While testing, make sure all other VPNs are turned off.

If every protocol and location fails, it’s time to try a manual connection. This will be easiest if you downloaded a key pair and the WireGuard app before arriving in China, but if you forgot to do so, email Surfshark support and ask for the links and the guide.

If the manual connection also fails, Surfshark is likely blocked due to something beyond its control. Switch to one of your backup China VPNs and wait a day or so before trying Surfshark again. For information on a strong Surfshark alternative, check out Arthur’s ExpressVPN vs Surfshark writeup.

Are VPNs Legal in China? Is There a VPN Ban? 

As a whole, VPNs are legal in China since many businesses rely on them. However, most well-known VPNs are outlawed, including all of the best free VPNs. The only legal VPN providers in China have been approved by the government, which all but guarantees that they contain surveillance backdoors.

Banning outside VPNs is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s larger project to control its people’s ability to access any non-approved information, which suppresses any resistance to its rule — it’s hard to know you’re being deprived of rights when you have no points of comparison. Most Western websites are banned, especially social media platforms.

You may have heard the technology behind this censorship regime referred to as the Great Firewall of China, but there is no single Great Firewall. Just like the original Great Wall, it’s a lot of different partitions combined into a mostly coherent barrier. This explains why it’s so hard to know whether a certain app or website will be banned in China, even from month to month.

The Best VPN for China? China VPN Community Discussion 

Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for China. My usual reputable VPN provider picks are ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark, but China often singles out these services for crackdowns. 

Although all three sometimes work in China, one of your backups should be a lesser-known but still trustworthy service. Mullvad, Astrill and VyprVPN all fit the description, and they have worked in China in the past.

Given the patchiness of the Great Firewall, the unreliable nature of reports from within China and the general chaos of the internet at large, it’s hard to definitively answer the question of which VPNs work in China. It’s less like you typically picture software shopping and more like getting a weather report — what’s true now may not be true tomorrow.

Does NordVPN Work in China? 

NordVPN sometimes works in China, but with many of the same obstacles as Surfshark. As a widely known and well-reviewed VPN, NordVPN is one of the apps facing a Chinese crackdown. Like Surfshark, it has gone through long periods of not working in China.

Similar to Surfshark, you can also set up a manual connection to a NordVPN server, which may have a better success rate. There’s no way to use WireGuard manually, though; you’re limited to OpenVPN and IKEv2. See my NordVPN review to learn more about the provider as a whole.

How to Choose a Working VPN in China

If you’re planning to travel to China, your best bet is to familiarize yourself with the criteria for choosing a China VPN. I’ll tell you right off the bat that they aren’t the same criteria for picking the best VPN for anywhere else.

• Obfuscation: A China VPN should have some ability to disguise its traffic as normal HTTPS communication. This lets it avoid bans that target certain ports.
• Manual VPN connections: Check if the VPN lets you download server configuration files and use them with third-party apps. This kind of connection has a better record in China.
• A kill switch: To avoid attention from the Chinese authorities, pick a VPN with a working kill switch that will cut off any unprotected broadcasting.
• Server locations near China: These will ensure you get the best performance while on the Chinese mainland.
• Affordable pricing: If you’re going to get three different VPNs for a trip, they should all be relatively cheap. A service with a no-questions-asked refund policy is a big help. Stay away from free VPNs, though, as none of them work regularly in China.
• Good word of mouth: Although we can’t say for sure which VPNs will work in China, it’s often a good sign if many regular users are reporting that one works. 

Conclusion

I wish I could give you more concrete information about whether Surfshark works in China, but the constantly shifting landscape makes that difficult. For now, all I can say is that Surfshark often works in China,but not so reliably that you shouldn’t take precautions. Download the WireGuard app and a Surfshark key pair, and have some backup VPNs on hand.

Have you been to China recently? Were you able to access the unrestricted internet? Which VPN did you use to do it? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading.

FAQ: Surfshark VPN in China

• Is Surfshark Good in China?

  Surfshark is one of the better VPNs for China, but it still doesn’t have a 100% success rate. If you can’t connect in China, try switching servers, changing protocols or using a manual WireGuard connection.

• Which VPN Works in China?

  The best VPNs for China often tend to be high-quality services with less popularity and reach. Mullvad, Astrill and VyprVPN are a few of the most reliable options other than Surfshark.

• Is Surfshark Owned by China? 

  No, Surfshark is not owned by the government of China or by a Chinese corporation. Surfshark operates as a merged entity with the NordVPN owner, Nord Security. Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, and Nord Security is based in Lithuania.