There is no doubt that Facebook is one of the most popular websites in the world. This social network website was launched in 2004 and now it has over one billion users. Many people use Facebook on a daily basis, and many companies use Facebook to promote their businesses and connect to their customers.
However, if you are an Internet user in China, you will not be able to access Facebook directly. You won’t be able to visit Facebook’s website using a web browser or access Facebook using its official App on your mobile phone. As a matter of fact, many first-time visitors to China were quite surprised and even frustrated by the fact that the can no longer use Facebook as they do everyday in their home countries.
Why You Can’t Access Facebook in China
The reason for not being able to access Facebook in China is that it’s blocked in this country by the so called Great Firewall of China (GFW), along with other popular websites such as Google, Twitter, Gmail etc. China has the world’s largest population, so there’s no doubt that Facebook is very interested in entering this country to expand its business. Actually Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, visited China a number of times in recent years and he even met with the Chinese President on some occasions. However, until now, there’s still no sign that Facebook will be unblocked in China.
How to Access Facebook in China
Although Facebook is blocked in China, you can still access Facebook in this country using some special methods, all of which involve bypassing the Great Firewall of China. Basically, the most popular methods are: using a VPN, using a Proxy and using Tor. Among these three methods, using a VPN that’s working in China (in Chinese: 使用VPN翻墙) is probably the most reliable choice.
What is VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Basically, when you use a VPN to visit a website, you first connect to another computer (the VPN server), which visits that website on your behalf and then passes its contents back to you. All traffic in the process is encrypted. This way, you “hide” your Internet activity from your ISP and thus it can no longer block your connections to websites that would be otherwise blocked.
In addition, VPN can be used to “fake” IP addresses. For example, when connecting to a VPN server located in another country using a Japan VPN, Hong Kong VPN or Taiwan VPN, you can get an IP address in those locations for purposes such as using VPN to unblock Netflix.
In order to use a VPN to access Facebook in China, you first need to sign up for a VPN service. There are many VPN service providers you can sign up with. However, you should keep in mind that many VPN providers’ website are blocked in China as well. You need to find a VPN service that work well in China. Here at VPNDada.com, we test VPN services from China and report which VPNs work in China and which VPNs are the best to be used in China. Based on our test results, here are some VPNs that we recommend for accessing Facebook in China:
Best VPNs for Accessing Facebook in China
1. ExpressVPN
Reason for recommending: Reliable connection, fast speed. Good customer support.
Starting Price: $6.67/mo (with special offer of 3 months free when choosing annual plan, click here to get this discount).
Free Trial: 30-day money-back.
Simultaneous Connections: 5 devices.
2. NordVPN
Reason for Recommending: Reliable connection, fast speed. Windows Software includes obfuscation option to defeat China’s VPN blocking.
Starting Price: $3.71/mo. Free Trial: 30-day money-back.
Simultaneous Connections: 6 devices (if not connected to the same server with the same protocol)
3. Surfshark VPN
Reason for Recommending: Reliable connection, fast speed. Allows unlimited devices. Low Price.
Starting Price: $2.49/mo. Free Trial: 30-day money-back guarantee.
Simultaneous Connections: Unlimited
4. PureVPN
Reason for Recommending: Reliable connection, fast speed. Low Price.
Starting Price: $1.92/mo. Free Trial: 31-day money-back guarantee.
Simultaneous Connections: 5 devices
5. VyprVPN
Reason for Recommending: Reliable connection, fast speed.
Starting Price: $1.67/mo. Free Trial: 30-day money-back guarantee.
Simultaneous Connections: 5 devices
How to Access Facebook in China Using VPN
Once you have signed up for a VPN service, you will be given an account. Also, you will be provided with instructions on how to setup VPN on your computer or mobile devices. Usually you can install VPN software downloaded from your VPN provider or add VPN to your computer or mobile devices by entering your VPN connection information manually. After you have setup, you can turn VPN on and off as you wish. Please note that if you have VPN on, your Internet connection might appear slower than usual due to the fact that you need to connect first to the VPN server and then to the desired website. For this reason, if you don’t need to visit Facebook or other blocked websites for some time, you might want to turn VPN off. When you need to access Facebook or other blocked sites, you can then turn VPN on.
Conclusion
You can’t access Facebook in China directly because it’s blocked in this country along with many other websites. However, you can use a VPN to access Facebook in China and visit other blocked websites as well.
