China Great FirewallAfter my boring stint with VPN Protocols, I had to opt for something that is important for all. What else could be a better topic than one of the greatest nations on this planet – People’s Republic of China! Over my next few articles, we will understand the network of China and how to bypass the same! Learn about China Great Firewall.

Golden Shield Project (aka The Great Firewall of China)

Before we squeeze into the great country let us understand the firewall that protects her – The Great Firewall of China. Well, it sounds more like the Great Wall of China but this dude is virtual and huge when compared to his physical counterpart. I would require thousands of words to cover The Great Firewall of China but let me bite my tongue and finish it up quickly.

It is officially called as The Golden Shield Project but those who love (and hate) China call it The Great Firewall of China. It is the censorship project operated by Ministry of Public Security (MPS) division within China. The project officially began its operations in November 2002.

The project was an inspiration from the famous quote of the 1980s from the Chinese diplomat Deng Xiaoping: “If you open the window for fresh air, you have to expect some flies to blow in.” I guess he messed up the chances of the entire nation to get connected to the outer world. Today, Chinese Internet restricts some of the very famous websites (including the likes of Facebook) which is weird but true.

How does China Great Firewall work

Some of the common methods used to restrict data in China are:

  • IP Blocking
  • DNS filtering and redirection
  • URL filtering
  • Packet filtering
  • Connection reset

What does it block?

The type of content that the Chinese network blocks are:

  • Websites that could alter the reforms of China (really?)
  • Websites that are linked with Dalai Lama (#lame)
  • Anything that can be tagged as Porn.
  • News sources that can be considered as against China.
  • Anything else that China thinks need to be banned!

There has been plenty of protests in China for The Great Firewall but at last, it has been the government who has been winning ever since I was born! In coming days we will learn more about China and her huge (but restricted network).

How to bypass the China Great Firewall?

The restrictions can be bypassed, but it is not an easy task. The firewall is updated regularly and blocks the most common unblocking tools. For example, some of the VPN protocols are completely blocked. However, there are still VPNs that work in China. Take a look at the Top 5 China VPN Providers post. Let us know in the comments if you know other tools to bypass China Great Firewall.