On a Chinese SIM or hotel Wi-Fi, Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube do not load. That is normal and expected. It is not a broken connection.
A travel eSIM fixes this without extra software. Your data roams through a foreign carrier, so you browse the open internet normally. No VPN app, nothing to configure.
Buy and install it before you fly. You need working internet to activate an eSIM, and that is the one thing you will not have on arrival.
Start with these
- 1A travel eSIM, installed before departureRoams through a foreign carrier, so there is nothing to configure on arrival.
- 2Decide whether you need a Chinese numberA local SIM is cheaper for long stays, but registration and the firewall both apply.
- 3Install the apps that assume a Chinese phoneMaps, ride-hailing, tickets and translation.
- 4Only if you must use a laptop on hotel Wi-FiAn eSIM covers your phone; a laptop is the one case where a VPN still matters.