What is Internet Access Like in China?

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What is Internet Access Like in China?

Written by Robert Vance on July 29, 2008 – 1:08 pm

Ask Jean about China is a weekly feature on TeachAbroadChina.com. We welcome any questions related to living and working in China. Feel free to submit your questions by clicking here. We look forward to hearing from you.

Dear Jean,

I am planning on coming to China in September to teach English in Shanghai. I have a small laptop that I would like to bring with me because I want to communicate with my family and do a little part time work for a small web hosting company in my hometown. What is the Internet like in China? Is it fast? I also always hear about Internet censorship in China. Is this something I should be concerned about? Any advice you could give me would be great.

Cheers,

Rod from Los Angeles, California

Jean responds to Rod’s question about using the Internet in China

Dear Rod,

I’m so happy for you that you have decided to teach in China. I hope that you enjoy the experience. These days in China, Internet access is quite reliable and fast. Hopefully, if your school has provided lodging for you, they will also hook you up with the Internet. Most schools will include this information in the contract that they provide for the teacher. If you do have access to Internet at your place of lodging, you can expect pretty decent service. While speeds vary from city to city and web service to service, you can usually attain DSL speeds depending on the time of day. I have noticed that where I travel in China, Internet speeds seem to be somewhat slower in the morning hours but I usually have little trouble checking my email and going about my daily business on the web. Really, I think that you will find that Internet service in China is quite good.

China is famous for the ‘Great Firewall’ but the censorship does not usually interfere with my Internet tasks. If you are planning on blogging while you are in China, you will probably want to choose a platform that does not contain the word ‘blog’ or the words ‘Wordpress’ in the URL. Many in China have reported Facebook to be censored off and on but I never have trouble logging on through the Chinese front page. You may also have some trouble accessing well known websites that contain information on the Dalai Lama, Tiananmen Square, or other topics that the Chinese government does not want its people to access. Of course, there are always ways around this censorship but I will let you explore those options on your own.

Good luck in Shanghai!

Sincerely,

Jean

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