Traveling to China? Here's every major website and app that's blocked by the Great Firewall — and more importantly, what you can use instead.
Bottom line: You don't need a VPN for everything. ChinaPal AI is a translator that works in China without any VPN.
Search & Email
| Service | Status | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search | Blocked | Bing (works!), Baidu, DuckDuckGo (intermittent) |
| Gmail | Blocked | Outlook, Yahoo Mail (both work) |
| Google Maps | Blocked | Apple Maps, Amap (高德地图) |
| Google Translate | Blocked | ChinaPal AI (no VPN needed), Baidu Translate |
| Google Drive | Blocked | OneDrive, Dropbox (sometimes works) |
Social Media
| Service | Status | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Blocked | WeChat (微信), Weibo (微博) | |
| Blocked | Xiaohongshu / RED (小红书) | |
| X (Twitter) | Blocked | Weibo (微博) |
| YouTube | Blocked | Bilibili (哔哩哔哩), Youku (优酷) |
| TikTok | Blocked | Douyin (抖音) — Chinese version |
| Blocked | Zhihu (知乎), Baidu Tieba | |
| Discord | Blocked | WeChat groups, QQ |
| Mostly blocked | WeChat (essential in China) | |
| Shut down in China | Maimai (脉脉) |
Productivity & Tools
| Service | Status | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Google Docs/Sheets | Blocked | Microsoft 365 online, Feishu/Lark |
| Dropbox | Intermittent | OneDrive, Baidu Wangpan |
| Notion | Intermittent | Feishu Docs, Yuque (语雀) |
| GitHub | Mostly works | Gitee (码云) as backup |
| Slack | Intermittent | WeChat Work |
| Zoom | Works | Tencent Meeting (腾讯会议) |
Streaming & Entertainment
| Service | Status | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Blocked | iQIYI (爱奇艺), Tencent Video, Youku |
| Spotify | Blocked | QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music |
| Twitch | Blocked | Huya (虎牙), Douyu (斗鱼) |
| Disney+ | Blocked | — |
What Actually Works in China (Without VPN)
Good news — not everything is blocked. These all work reliably:
- Apple services: iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Maps, iCloud (mostly)
- Microsoft: Bing, Outlook, Office 365, Teams
- Yahoo (mail works)
- Zoom (works for international calls)
- Steam (gaming, mostly works)
- Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda (booking sites mostly work)
- ChinaPal AI — translation tool designed to work in China, try it free
Essential Apps to Download BEFORE You Arrive
- WeChat — messaging, payments, everything
- Alipay — mobile payments (link foreign Visa/Mastercard)
- Didi — ride-hailing (Chinese Uber)
- ChinaPal AI — bookmark aihubai.cn for translation
- Apple Maps or download offline maps in advance
- A VPN as backup (don't rely on it fully — many get blocked)
Need a Translator That Works in China?
ChinaPal AI runs in your browser — no VPN, no app, no Google services needed.
- Photo/camera translation (menus, signs, documents)
- Face-to-face conversation translation with pinyin
- Trip planning and cultural tips
- Emergency phrases with Chinese characters
3 free chats/day · Works on any phone · Trip Pass $4.99/7 days
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