How to Access Gmail in China: Stay Safe & Anonymous (2023)
The Chinese authority go to great lengths to put barriers between people living in China and some parts of the internet – especially those parts that criticize the Chinese government. Unfortunately, Gmail is included in the list of websites blocked by the so-called Great Firewall of China.
Even though internet censorship in China is particularly strong, there are nonetheless ways to overcome the barriers. If you are going to travel to China, you will be deprived of all Google services, including Gmail, the search engine itself, and all the other many services Google provides.
What other websites do the Chinese authorities censor?
In this list you will find just a few of them…
- YouTube
- Dropbox
- Netflix
- Flickr
- The New York Times
- The Wall Street Journal
How can I bypass Chinese censorship and access Gmail?
The simplest way to bypass the Great Firewall of China is to hide your traffic from the Chinese internet servers. In order to do this, you need to use encryption from the first moment you start your online activities.
VPNs allow you to do just that by using encryption on any device you may use, such as desktops, laptops, smartphones or tablets. With a VPN you can use encryption to hide your online activities from the moment you connect to the internet. The firewall cannot cut access to the websites, as it does not know which ones you are visiting.
Having thoroughly investigated all the leading VPN services, our team encountered a unique hurdle when it comes to China. The Chinese authorities have successfully restricted access to certain VPN providers, prompting us to conduct meticulous scrutiny in order to identify the ones that are currently functional and usable within China.
Top VPN providers for giving you access to Gmail in China
Individuals presently in China may encounter difficulties in accessing these websites, which could be due to Chinese authorities potentially blocking access to the VPN's own site. Nevertheless, it's still worth making an attempt to see if they're usable. Those who have not yet reached China are recommended to install one of these VPNs in advance to prevent issues upon arrival in China. The VPNs are ranked based on their quality, beginning with the topmost. Although each one has its unique strengths, all of them are currently usable in China to evade the internet censorship enforced by the Chinese government.
Read more about using a VPN in China here.
If you want to help others to overcome internet censorship, please share this article!
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About the Author
Kristina Perunicic is a former editor for vpnMentor. She’s a cybersecurity expert with an interest in VPNs and their importance in the digital privacy landscape.