TunnelBear Works in China But Only if You Do This

China started banning VPNs from March 31, 2018. While most VPN providers are unable to provide services in China, there are some companies that claim their services are still available in the country.

TunnelBear is one of the VPNs that claim they can unblock content in China. Does TunnelBear work in China? Let’s see.

China blocks VPNs

China is known for its strict censorship laws. Beijing has built an almost foolproof digital wall around the country and it’s called the Great Firewall of China. For the last few years, they have been updating their firewall and have made it more impenetrable.

Beijing makes sure that all online traffic moves through just the licensed channels. This has changed the ways big corporations use VPNs to access data outside China.

For example, if you’re in China, you’ll need a VPN to access Google services, Facebook, Twitter, and more.

While people living in other countries might use a VPN to access streaming services or to get lower airfares, people in China need a VPN to access even the most basic websites. If you’ve ever been to China in the recent past, you’d be familiar with a VPN.

Unfortunately, there are not many VPNs that can help you access the internet in China, and there are even fewer VPNs that will do it for free. This is where TunnelBear comes in.

How TunnelBear Bypasses the Great Firewall with GhostBear

TunnelBear works in 47 countries and one of them is Hong Kong. If you’re traveling to China, you can connect to their Hong Kong servers to bypass the great firewall.

How does this work?

TunnelBear has a feature called GhostBear, which disguises your VPN traffic so that it looks like regular internet traffic.

The Chinese Firewall uses Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to identify internet traffic and block certain forms of traffic. GhostBear uses a technology called Obfsproxy which changes your traffic signature in a number of ways to look like regular (non-VPN) traffic.

One of the great things about TunnelBear is its free app, and GhostBear is included! This means that you don’t have to pay to access content in China.

While GhostBear is a great technology for anyone traveling to China, it does make the connection a bit slower. So it is not recommended for people who want high speeds and are not in the high surveillance zone.

Users should also note that GhostBear is not available on iOS; however, it does work on Windows, Mac, and Android.

How to Use TunnelBear’s GhostBear in China

The first step to using TunnelBear is to make sure you download and install it BEFORE you land in China.

(If you happen to be in China already without a VPN, you should read this article that will help you out.)

If you run into trouble while you’re in China, you can email TunnelBear at support@tunnelbear.com and they will help you out. They generally reply within a couple of hours.

After the installation is complete, this is the process to utilize their VPN to ensure a safe connection. We executed this on our Android phone, however, the procedure remains identical for your Windows or Mac computer.

1. Open the TunnelBear app

Open your TunnelBear app and log in

2. Select a server outside of China. For Facebook, Gmail, and other simple websites we suggest the Hong Kong server, since its close proximity will improve speed.

Choose a server outside of China and connect

3. Click on the hamburger icon on the top left. It will take you to settings. Click on Options.

Open the settings and click on "GhostBear"

4. Click on GhostBear. It will take you to another page where there will be a toggle switch for Use GhostBear. Toggle it on.

Activate the GhostBear feature

5. It will take just a few seconds and you’ll be connected to the Hong Kong server. There will be a tunnel on the screen with a bear head popping through it. This means you’re connected and are secure.

You can now access the internet in China

The whole procedure is straightforward and can be completed in a matter of seconds. In case you encounter difficulties connecting to TunnelBear Ghostbear, you can reach out to their customer service via email for a prompt response.

Get TunnelBear for Free

TunnelBear proves to be an excellent VPN choice, particularly for those traveling to China. If you plan to stay in China for just a few days, the free version of TunnelBear might suffice, although it comes with a monthly limit of 500MB. However, if you're willing to tweet about TunnelBear, the free data limit increases to 1.5GB per month.

However, if you want to stream content, or if you’ll be there on business, it’s probably worthwhile to buy a plan with unlimited data.