Great Firewall of China 🔥 Websites Banned in China (2023 Edition)

Q: If you cannot use Gmail, what do you recommend?

If you download a VPN you'll be able to use Gmail but we also recommend have another email account , perhaps with Outlook for example. Outlook is not banned in China and you'll be able to access this with no problems.

Q: Do China have their own versions of Social Media?

Yes in most cases they do . For example, Weibo is "China's Twitter", WeChat is effectively Facebook and Whatsapp rolled into one. YouTube is replaced with YouKu . In a lots of instances social media in China completely differs from western social media.

Q: Has the BBC ever been blocked in China?

Yes it has . Some websites tend to go through phases of being blocked and not blocked. This can change at any time.

Q: Is Wikipedia blocked in China?

As of 2020 Wikipedia is currently blocked in China .

Q: Can I access my iTunes Apple Store in China?

Yes you can , there have been no such issues with this to date.

Living in Beijing • By Zoe Stephens • June 4, 2023

Websites Banned in China || Updated for 2023

Websites banned in China – the updated list for 2022

Want a complete list of all websites blocked in China? Great… So here’s the deal!

It’s no secret that the Great Firewall of China blocks many popular sites used in the Western world, making them difficult/impossible to access without the aid of a VPN.

But which sites exactly are open, and which websites will you need to download a VPN for before coming to China?

We cover a list of the most popular sites and tell you whether they are blocked or readily available in China.

It’s worth noting this can change so be aware of the changes, but we will keep this post up to date so you have the most recent news.

Let’s start with the main websites before going into a big list of websites blocked in China.

Websites Blocked in China || Google
Websites Blocked in China || Facebook
Websites Blocked in China || YouTube
Websites Blocked in China || Instagram
Websites Blocked in China || Twitter
Websites Blocked in China || Whatsapp
Websites Blocked in China || A Full list of Blocked Sites in China
Websites Blocked in China || FAQs

Play

Google in China

Nearly all Google services are blocked in China. This includes Gmail and the ability of using a simple Google search.

If you don’t have a VPN you’ll have to get off Google and make Bing or Yahoo your new home browser! Or, head to the Chinese Google equivalent Baidu for a real Chinese experience.

Some services, however, such as Google Translate, and Google Maps, are unblocked and open for use in China.

This does change often though, so it’s worth trying or getting information from people in China right now if you are not sure.

Although we recommend downloading Baidu maps and using that instead of Google Maps during your time in China, or download Maps.Me for an offline experience.

China Travel Tips – 20 China Hacks You Must Know

20 China Travel Hacks to Make Your Time in China Super Smooth Need some China travel tips, tricks and hacks to help get by in China? If you’re new around here these China hacks are about to become very helpful!…

Facebook in China

Facebook, just like many other social media sites, is blocked in China.

Instead, Chinese people use the alternative of WeChat (微信 – Wēixìn) to be social, which is widely seen as China’s answer to WhatsApp – but with its social media style “wall” and ability to do almost anything on the app… It’s so much more!

This Chinese app is a completely must-have Chinese app if you’re coming to visit or live in China.

Play

Youtube in China

Youku (优酷 – Yōu kù) is the Chinese version of YouTube and works just like everyone’s favourite video sharing website.

You can upload, watch, comment on, and like various videos.

Of course it’s all in Chinese so brush up on your Chinese skills!

Instagram in China

Chinese social media has various platforms, but there isn’t quite one that rivals Instagram exactly – rather, several.

The video market has hit China big time – with the public no longer entertained by simple pictures.

China loves short Vine-like videos, and live-streaming. A couple of popular video apps are Douyin 抖音 and Kuaishou 快手.

Twitter in China

微博 (Weibo) is China’s answer to the lack of Twitter. Similar to Twitter, users have a limited number of characters to express their opinions and thoughts.

Posts are usually about personal lives, rather than touching on political views and current news.

Whilst Twitter recently extended its character limit to allow for longer tweets Weibo is yet to follow suit.

This Chinese app is a great one to have and a good way to practice your Chinese.

WhatsApp in China

As mentioned above, since WhatsApp is banned in China (and has been for a few years now) China has it’s own version, and in my opinion better version, called WeChat.

On this platform, there are many features that WhatsApp users are missing out on.

Not even touching the fact that you can do your shopping, order a taxi and get a rental bike all from the app…

Play

Websites Blocked in China || List of Sites Banned in China

Sometimes websites get blocked and unblocked. For example, the BBC was banned by China, and then re-instated.

You never quite know!

So, here’s a comprehensive, up-to-date list of all of the websites banned in China.

Updated for 2023

Google services (most Google services)
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
Instagram
Clubhouse
Blogspot
T.co
Pornography sites
FC2
GitHub
Pinterest
The Pirate Bay
Daily Motion
Amazon (Amazon Japan, Amazon Germany)
The New York Times
Dropbox
Vimeo
BBC
SoundCloud
Archive.org
Scribd
isoHunt
XING
Bloomberg
Yomiuri
Ustream.tv
LazyGirls
StartPage
Plurk
The Epoch Times
SBS Radio
Boxun
Le Soir
New Tang Dynasty Television
WikiLeaks
OpenVPN
AllMovie
Strong VPN
Pure VPN
Amnesty International
Radio Australia
Reporters Without Borders
Falun Dafa
Minghui
LiveStation
Twister
VPN Coupons
Elephant VPN
Tibet Post
Viet-Nam California Radio
Australia Tibet Council
Central Tibetan Administration
DuckDuckGo
Flickr
Badoo
Periscope
Tumblr
The Cantonese Independent Magazine
SlideShare
Wall Street Journal
Mega
Disqus
Reuters
Radio Free Asia
The Economist
TIME
BigCommerce
GreatFire
Torproject
Pixiv
Quozr
Lantern
Discord
HBO
Microsoft OneDrive
Reddit
Quora
ABC News
Shadowsocks
Twitch.tv
Tapatalk

Don’t see the website you’re looking for here?

You can head to this website which offers a handy tool to test if the website you want to access is blocked by the Great Firewall of China or not.

Or, if you’re in China, you can try to access it. If you can’t – it’s probably blocked. Or you need to sort out your WiFi!

Websites Banned in China || FAQs

Is Whatsapp blocked in China?

As of 2020 yes it is, you need a VPN to access WhatsApp in China.

If you cannot use Gmail, what do you recommend?

If you download a VPN you’ll be able to use Gmail but we also recommend have another email account, perhaps with Outlook for example.

Outlook is not banned in China and you’ll be able to access this with no problems.

Do China have their own versions of Social Media?

Yes in most cases they do. For example, Weibo is “China’s Twitter”, WeChat is effectively Facebook and Whatsapp rolled into one.

YouTube is replaced with YouKu.

In a lots of instances social media in China completely differs from western social media.

Has the BBC ever been blocked in China?

Yes it has.

Some websites tend to go through phases of being blocked and not blocked.

This can change at any time.

Is Wikipedia blocked in China?

As of 2020 Wikipedia is currently blocked in China.

Can I access my iTunes Apple Store in China?

Yes you can, there have been no such issues with this to date.

What is the alternative to Google in China?

You can use Bing which is not blocked in China, or for a more immersive experience, use the “China Google”, Baidu.

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Great Firewall of China 🔥 Websites Banned in China (2023 Edition)