Tunnelz

China trip guide

Does Instagram work in China?

Not on Chinese networks. Instagram and Facebook are blocked in mainland China, hotel Wi-Fi included. To keep posting, use a roaming eSIM on your phone, or a VPN on Wi-Fi and on a laptop, and set up the eSIM or VPN before you fly.

Updated

On Chinese networks aloneWith a roaming eSIM or a VPN doesn’t load usually gets throughOn Chinese networks alone doesn’t load With an eSIM or a VPN usually gets through
Fig. 01
Why you need a way past the block before you can post. Simplified. Set up the eSIM or VPN before you fly.

What’s blocked, and what people use

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X are blocked in mainland China. Meta’s Threads was taken out of Apple’s App Store in China in April 2024.

People in China use their own apps. RedNote (Xiaohongshu), often called China’s answer to Instagram, has about 300 million users a month. Chinese apps such as WeChat and Weibo must follow China’s censorship rules.

Blocked in mainland China

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • X

What people in China use

  • RedNote
  • WeChat
  • Weibo
Fig. 02
RedNote (Xiaohongshu) has about 300 million users a month. Threads was taken out of Apple’s App Store in China in April 2024.

Ways to keep posting

  • On your phone’s mobile data: a roaming or travel eSIM that routes data outside mainland China usually gets Instagram through. If its data allowance is small, keep big video uploads for later.

  • On hotel Wi-Fi: it’s a Chinese network, so you need a VPN.

  • On your Mac: use Instagram in your browser at instagram.com, with a VPN on.

Fig. 03
Three ways to keep posting.

Before you fly

  1. 1. Update Instagram at home and stay logged in on your phone.

  2. 2. Set up an authentication app for two-factor login. Instagram can ask for a login code when you log in on a new device, and an app gives you codes without needing texts.

  3. 3. Save your backup codes somewhere you can reach on the trip. They get you back in if a login code can’t reach you.

Fig. 04
Three things to do before you fly, so you don’t get locked out.

Where Tunnelz fits

Tunnelz covers the Mac on hotel Wi-Fi: it sends instagram.com through your own server, not shared with thousands, for uploads and replies from your Mac. The Smart route sends Chinese sites direct, so RedNote and WeChat stay fast. If your server is ever blocked, Replace Server can set up a new one in minutes, as long as the app can reach Vultr. In China that may take eSIM data or another network (how).

  • instagram.com

    Goes through your own server, not shared with thousands, for uploads and replies from your Mac.

  • Chinese sites

    Go direct, so RedNote and WeChat stay fast.

Fig. 05
The Smart route on your Mac, on hotel Wi-Fi. Simplified. No route is promised to stay open.

Only have a phone? A roaming eSIM usually covers this today; Tunnelz for iPhone is coming.

Questions

Can I post on Instagram from China?
Yes, if you get past the block: a roaming eSIM that routes data outside mainland China on your phone, or a VPN on Wi-Fi and on a laptop. On Chinese networks alone, Instagram doesn’t load.
Does Instagram work with a roaming eSIM in China?
Usually, on the eSIM’s own mobile data, if the plan routes data outside mainland China. Check the plan before you buy, and watch the data allowance if you post video.
What do people in China use instead of Instagram?
Chinese apps such as RedNote (Xiaohongshu), often called China’s answer to Instagram. It has about 300 million users a month and works on Chinese networks.
How do I avoid getting locked out of Instagram abroad?
Set up an authentication app for two-factor login and save your backup codes before you fly. Both work without text messages.
Can I use Instagram on my Mac in China?
Yes, in your browser at instagram.com with a VPN on. Tunnelz runs on an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later; the iPhone and iPad app is coming to the App Store.

Sources