Tech Fun Fact: The president of the cross-strait peace embassy said that China can't help but climb over the wall, as long as you use a VPN, you can see anything
Taiwanese internet celebrity Chen Zhi-Han, also known as Guanzhang, recently concluded his trip to Shanghai, China. He generously shared his experiences from the journey on social media. During a media interview after his live stream, he excitedly stated: "China does not actually prohibit bypassing the Great Firewall," sparking heated discussions among netizens.
The director emphasized that his identity during this visit to China is as a peace ambassador, with no political color or commercial compensation, purely out of personal curiosity. He stated that during his time in China, he saw many people freely using Western social platforms like Instagram and YouTube, thus believing that the so-called "internet blockade" is just a rumor. However, this statement quickly raised doubts in Taiwan's online community, with many netizens pointing out that using VPNs to bypass restrictions in China is not universally legal and not accessible to everyone. Legislator Shen Boyang rebutted the director, stating that VPNs are indeed for bypassing restrictions. This article will casually discuss the history of bypassing restrictions and VPNs, ensuring it is not any promotional content for any VPN service, but purely personal opinions and social observations.
Bypass and VPN
The term "circumventing the Great Firewall" in Chinese originally refers to overcoming the blocking measures against overseas websites imposed by China's Great Firewall. Circumventing the firewall allows the public to bypass internet censorship and access the internet of other countries around the world. This phenomenon emerged in the early 2000s when the Chinese government began gradually blocking foreign internet media like Facebook, Twitter, and Google, which are commonly used social media and search engines in Western countries and others. Chinese netizens could connect to overseas servers using VPNs and other technical skills, becoming a "strategy" for Chinese people to bypass restrictions and gain access to more global information.
The VPN technology itself originated from corporate needs, used to allow remote employees to securely connect back to the company's internal network. With the intensification of internet censorship, VPNs have been widely used to bypass censorship systems. In 2017, the Chinese authorities began cracking down on unlicensed VPN services, requiring domestic telecommunications companies and cloud service providers to block unverified VPN tools, and imposing fines or revocation measures on related businesses.
In recent years, China has further strengthened its surveillance, including identifying VPN traffic through Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology, and establishing local firewall systems, such as the self-built network management platform in Henan Province, to restrict local users' ability to bypass censorship.
Nevertheless, many Chinese netizens continue to use VPNs through legal or gray channels. Tech professionals, international company employees, and some students in first-tier cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen can access government-approved commercial VPN services, creating what is known as a "technical gap area," which may also be the phenomenon observed by the curator during the brief visit.
However, this does not mean that circumventing censorship is completely legal in China. In 2023, China's Cybersecurity Law explicitly states that unauthorized internet tools are considered illegal use and are a focus of strict investigation. Citizens who circumvent censorship still face the risk of being investigated and punished if reported.
What is a VPN?
VPN ( Virtual Private Network ) is literally translated as a virtual private internet, which, as the name suggests, is a network communication protocol that maintains privacy.
1960s to 1980s: The foundational period of computer networks
The concept of the internet originated from ARPANET, which was developed by the United States Department of Defense and is considered the precursor to the modern internet. As the scale of the internet has expanded, information security and data integrity have gradually become important issues, especially when handling confidential communications for governments and enterprises.
1990s: The Birth of VPN Technology
In 1996, Microsoft employee Gurdeep Singh-Pall developed a communication protocol called PPTP (Peer-to-Peer Tunneling Protocol). PPTP allows data to be transmitted over public networks (such as the Internet) in an encrypted manner, which also became the prototype of modern VPNs. Its main purpose is to allow employees to securely connect remotely to the company's internal network, which was also the initial application scenario of VPN.
2000s: Corporate VPNs Go Mainstream
As the pace of globalization accelerates for enterprises, the demand for security in remote work is also rapidly growing.
At this time, more advanced VPN protocols have emerged, including: IPSec (Internet Protocol Security); L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol); SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security Protocol)
2010s: VPNs began to gain popularity for personal and privacy purposes.
Due to government surveillance, regional restrictions, and internet censorship (such as China's "Great Firewall," the data collection conducted under the USA PATRIOT Act, etc. )), the demand for personal use of VPNs has surged. VPNs are now widely used for: accessing blocked content, bypassing internet censorship, protecting personal identity and geographical location, and enhancing the security of public Wi-Fi connections.
From the 2020s to present: The role of VPNs in government surveillance and the AI era
In this era of rapid development of surveillance technology and artificial intelligence, VPNs have become a core tool for safeguarding digital human rights, cybersecurity, and internet freedom. However, in some authoritarian countries, VPNs still face government blocking or restrictions on use and regulatory suppression.
The director's remarks may stem from personal experience, but they also highlight the general lack of understanding among many Taiwanese people regarding the operation of circumventing firewalls and VPNs. In Taiwan, everyone can freely express their opinions on political commentary programs and social media, criticizing the government and leaders of other countries, because Taiwan has long granted its people the most basic freedom of speech. Most people do not need to pay for VPNs to browse public networks from other countries, and they can freely read The New York Times, BBC, and even log into Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, or watch sensitive content related to China on YouTube without having to take special detours.
Such freedom of information is still a luxury in many authoritarian countries. In contrast, Chinese internet users still have to find ways to bypass the firewall to seek the information they want, but these actions often occur in a gray area between technology and law, with risks borne by the individuals. In this context, the curator's comments undoubtedly show no consideration for the restrictions faced by the Chinese people in real society.
This article "Tech Fun Facts": The director of the Cross-Strait Peace Embassy stated that China does not ban circumventing restrictions at all; as long as you use a VPN, you can watch anything. It first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.
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Tech Fun Fact: The president of the cross-strait peace embassy said that China can't help but climb over the wall, as long as you use a VPN, you can see anything
Taiwanese internet celebrity Chen Zhi-Han, also known as Guanzhang, recently concluded his trip to Shanghai, China. He generously shared his experiences from the journey on social media. During a media interview after his live stream, he excitedly stated: "China does not actually prohibit bypassing the Great Firewall," sparking heated discussions among netizens.
The director emphasized that his identity during this visit to China is as a peace ambassador, with no political color or commercial compensation, purely out of personal curiosity. He stated that during his time in China, he saw many people freely using Western social platforms like Instagram and YouTube, thus believing that the so-called "internet blockade" is just a rumor. However, this statement quickly raised doubts in Taiwan's online community, with many netizens pointing out that using VPNs to bypass restrictions in China is not universally legal and not accessible to everyone. Legislator Shen Boyang rebutted the director, stating that VPNs are indeed for bypassing restrictions. This article will casually discuss the history of bypassing restrictions and VPNs, ensuring it is not any promotional content for any VPN service, but purely personal opinions and social observations.
Bypass and VPN
The term "circumventing the Great Firewall" in Chinese originally refers to overcoming the blocking measures against overseas websites imposed by China's Great Firewall. Circumventing the firewall allows the public to bypass internet censorship and access the internet of other countries around the world. This phenomenon emerged in the early 2000s when the Chinese government began gradually blocking foreign internet media like Facebook, Twitter, and Google, which are commonly used social media and search engines in Western countries and others. Chinese netizens could connect to overseas servers using VPNs and other technical skills, becoming a "strategy" for Chinese people to bypass restrictions and gain access to more global information.
The VPN technology itself originated from corporate needs, used to allow remote employees to securely connect back to the company's internal network. With the intensification of internet censorship, VPNs have been widely used to bypass censorship systems. In 2017, the Chinese authorities began cracking down on unlicensed VPN services, requiring domestic telecommunications companies and cloud service providers to block unverified VPN tools, and imposing fines or revocation measures on related businesses.
In recent years, China has further strengthened its surveillance, including identifying VPN traffic through Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology, and establishing local firewall systems, such as the self-built network management platform in Henan Province, to restrict local users' ability to bypass censorship.
Nevertheless, many Chinese netizens continue to use VPNs through legal or gray channels. Tech professionals, international company employees, and some students in first-tier cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen can access government-approved commercial VPN services, creating what is known as a "technical gap area," which may also be the phenomenon observed by the curator during the brief visit.
However, this does not mean that circumventing censorship is completely legal in China. In 2023, China's Cybersecurity Law explicitly states that unauthorized internet tools are considered illegal use and are a focus of strict investigation. Citizens who circumvent censorship still face the risk of being investigated and punished if reported.
What is a VPN?
VPN ( Virtual Private Network ) is literally translated as a virtual private internet, which, as the name suggests, is a network communication protocol that maintains privacy.
1960s to 1980s: The foundational period of computer networks
The concept of the internet originated from ARPANET, which was developed by the United States Department of Defense and is considered the precursor to the modern internet. As the scale of the internet has expanded, information security and data integrity have gradually become important issues, especially when handling confidential communications for governments and enterprises.
1990s: The Birth of VPN Technology
In 1996, Microsoft employee Gurdeep Singh-Pall developed a communication protocol called PPTP (Peer-to-Peer Tunneling Protocol). PPTP allows data to be transmitted over public networks (such as the Internet) in an encrypted manner, which also became the prototype of modern VPNs. Its main purpose is to allow employees to securely connect remotely to the company's internal network, which was also the initial application scenario of VPN.
2000s: Corporate VPNs Go Mainstream
As the pace of globalization accelerates for enterprises, the demand for security in remote work is also rapidly growing.
At this time, more advanced VPN protocols have emerged, including: IPSec (Internet Protocol Security); L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol); SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security Protocol)
2010s: VPNs began to gain popularity for personal and privacy purposes.
Due to government surveillance, regional restrictions, and internet censorship (such as China's "Great Firewall," the data collection conducted under the USA PATRIOT Act, etc. )), the demand for personal use of VPNs has surged. VPNs are now widely used for: accessing blocked content, bypassing internet censorship, protecting personal identity and geographical location, and enhancing the security of public Wi-Fi connections.
From the 2020s to present: The role of VPNs in government surveillance and the AI era
In this era of rapid development of surveillance technology and artificial intelligence, VPNs have become a core tool for safeguarding digital human rights, cybersecurity, and internet freedom. However, in some authoritarian countries, VPNs still face government blocking or restrictions on use and regulatory suppression.
The director's remarks may stem from personal experience, but they also highlight the general lack of understanding among many Taiwanese people regarding the operation of circumventing firewalls and VPNs. In Taiwan, everyone can freely express their opinions on political commentary programs and social media, criticizing the government and leaders of other countries, because Taiwan has long granted its people the most basic freedom of speech. Most people do not need to pay for VPNs to browse public networks from other countries, and they can freely read The New York Times, BBC, and even log into Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, or watch sensitive content related to China on YouTube without having to take special detours.
Such freedom of information is still a luxury in many authoritarian countries. In contrast, Chinese internet users still have to find ways to bypass the firewall to seek the information they want, but these actions often occur in a gray area between technology and law, with risks borne by the individuals. In this context, the curator's comments undoubtedly show no consideration for the restrictions faced by the Chinese people in real society.
This article "Tech Fun Facts": The director of the Cross-Strait Peace Embassy stated that China does not ban circumventing restrictions at all; as long as you use a VPN, you can watch anything. It first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.