Setting up an OpenVPN server to access censored content in China

by Frank Fu

Censorship is real in China. Here are some of the workarounds I can think of

  • Spin up a Windows server with GUI in Hong Kong or Japan then just remote deskop into the instance.
  • Spin up a Linux server in Hong Kong or Japan and setup a VPN and connect to this VPN using a Connect VPN client.
  • Purchase a VPN that China doesn't actively block. PIA for example gets actively blocked by the great firewall where as a service like ExpressVPN works.
  • Purchase a data sim from outside China which is usable in China. Sims Direct , an Australian company, provides an data only sim which lets you use it in 18 asian countries for a span of 15 days

I personally prefer the second method, because this means I can then download Open VPN Client on all my devices (iPad, iPhone, Laptop etc).

Spinning up a Linux box with OpenVPN Access Server either pre-installed or self installation, configure the wizard, add desired users and permissions then lastly login as the desired user and download the  Connection Profile in the .ovpn format by logging in https://<openvpnasip>:943 and clicking the links in "Connection profiles can be downloaded for" section. You might have open the .ovpn file and find and replace any occurance of local to public IP addresses.