How to use TorGuard VPN in China
Here at TorGuard, we pride ourselves on being consistent with improving our massive security network around the world. That means that even heavily censored countries can access our VPN to access the open internet. China, perhaps one of the most notorious examples, seeks to make Internet freedom impossible.
The Chinese government uses deep packet inspection to block most popular forms of protocols that VPNs use, like OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPsec. For the most part, and for other VPNs besides TorGuard, this method is very useful.
The great firewall of China, dubbed “The Golden Shield Project” is one of the most advanced security frameworks in the world. The design of the firewall forces censorship onto Chinese users blocking many popular social media platforms, services, and large websites.
The goal of the golden shield project is to help China retain “Internet sovereignty”. This means China wants complete control over the web without any outside influence or individual user control.
Some popular websites that are blocked include Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google apps, Instagram, Porn sites, and more. For a full list, see here.
As we mentioned earlier, due to the power of the great firewall, most VPNs don’t work properly due to protocols being blocked. However, TorGuard stands out from other VPNs since we have included highly advanced security features like Stealth VPN servers and Stealth Proxy.
Setup TorGuard VPN Service to Bypass VPN Blocks
In order to setup TorGuard so it works from behind the “Great Firewall” you must first download TorGuard VPN from this link (Windows, OSX, Linux or Android software supports Stealth).
Run the newly installed VPN app and click then server menu, then pick a Stealth VPN server. (Asia Optimized is suggested for best performance from China. These servers have optimal peering to reach ISPs ChinaTelecom, ChinaUnicom, and Taiwan’s HiNet) while using OpenVPN obfuscation technology to help keep you hidden.
From here, you then need to turn on TorGuard’s Stealth Proxy feature. You can find this feature in Settings/Proxy/Stealth Proxy.
TorGuard’s Stealth Proxy combined with Stealth VPN server work as a double-layered encryption approach that ensures your VPN connection stays invisible. Strict firewalls like the Golden Shield project actively sniff out known VPN “handshakes”, or the moment you connect, as evidence that a VPN tunnel is in use. Once discovered the connection is throttled or blocked completely. TorGuard Stealth proxy tunnels your VPN connection process through an encrypted ShadowSocks proxy, adding yet another layer of obfuscation to your session.
Some countries like China, UAE, and Saudi Arabia block many torguard related domain names from time to time. In this case, since you are connecting from a region with strict censorship you should enable direct IP to connect. You can enable this by clicking settings, then network, then click “Workaround DNS block”–which functions as direct IP connection to the VPN server.
There are plenty of Stealth server locations for you to use. The best part about TorGuard VPN is that our servers are never overloaded, and we are constantly adding more bandwidth and server locations to expand our already extensive network. Recently, we’ve added new servers in Guangdong China.
If you’re looking to unblock content and popular websites in China, TorGuard is the best VPN you can find due to our advanced security features, powerfully fast servers, and consistent updates.