Proxies to Bypass the Great Firewall of China: Which Protocols Are Unblocked in 2024

China is one of the most challenging markets for working with traffic. The Great Firewall (GFW) does not just block websites, but entire protocols and connection patterns. Most standard proxies simply do not work here. If you are running advertising campaigns targeting a Chinese audience, managing accounts on Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, or monitoring Chinese marketplaces — this article will explain what actually works behind the firewall and how to set it up correctly.

How the Great Firewall Works and Why Regular Proxies Don’t Help

The Great Firewall of China (GFW) is a state-run internet filtering system that operates at the level of internet service providers across the country. It is not just a list of blocked websites. The GFW analyzes traffic in real-time, determines the type of connection, and blocks it if it appears "suspicious."

Most people think: "I’ll just set up a regular proxy and everything will work." This is not the case. The GFW recognizes a standard HTTP proxy or even a standard SOCKS5 in seconds. The system uses DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) technology — deep packet inspection. It sees not only the destination address but also the protocol signature, traffic pattern, request frequency, and even behavioral characteristics of the connection.

If you are working with Facebook Ads, Google Ads, or Instagram from China or targeting a Chinese audience — you need not just any proxies, but proxies with the correct protocol and IP from the desired geolocation. Without this, you will either face immediate connection blocking or a ban on your advertising account for suspicious activity.

What Exactly GFW Blocks: Protocols and Signatures

To choose a working tool, you need to understand what exactly the system can recognize and block. The GFW operates in several directions simultaneously.

Blocking by IP Addresses

The simplest method is blocking specific IP addresses and ranges. The targets are the IPs of major cloud providers: AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr. If your proxy is located on one of these servers — there is a high probability that its IP is already blacklisted by the GFW. This is why datacenter proxies with "clean" cloud IPs work significantly worse in China than residential ones.

Blocking by Protocol Signatures

The GFW can recognize the signatures of OpenVPN, standard un-obfuscated SOCKS5, L2TP, PPTP, and several other protocols. When the system sees a characteristic handshake — the connection is dropped. This does not always happen instantly: sometimes the GFW allows a few packets through, analyzes the traffic, and only then blocks it. This is called "active probing."

Traffic Behavior Analysis

Even if the protocol is encrypted, the GFW analyzes the pattern: packet size, connection frequency, response time. If the traffic looks "non-human" — for example, too regular requests with identical intervals — this is a signal for blocking. For arbitrage specialists and SMM professionals, this means that automated tools need to be configured with delays and randomization.

DNS Spoofing and Cache Poisoning

For blocked domains (Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and thousands of others), the GFW returns incorrect DNS responses. Even if you have a working proxy, but DNS requests go through Chinese servers — you will receive an incorrect IP and will not be able to connect. This needs to be taken into account during setup.

Which Types of Proxies Work in China

Not all proxies are equally useful behind the Great Firewall. Let’s analyze each type from the perspective of practical applicability.

Residential Proxies — The Optimal Choice for Most Tasks

Residential proxies use IP addresses of real home users from different countries. For the GFW, such traffic looks like a regular user, not like a server or VPN. If you need an IP with geolocation outside of China (for example, the USA or Hong Kong) to work with Facebook, Google, or Instagram — residential proxies will provide minimal risk of blocking.

The key advantage: IP rotation. Each request can go through a new IP address, making the traffic pattern as similar as possible to the behavior of real users.

Mobile Proxies — For Farming and Accounts

Mobile proxies operate through real SIM cards from mobile operators. IP addresses from mobile networks (3G/4G/5G) are a separate category that the GFW historically blocks less often because thousands of real users can be behind one mobile IP. Blocking such an IP would mean disconnecting an entire area from the internet.

For arbitrage specialists who farm TikTok Ads accounts or work with Douyin — mobile proxies with geolocation in the desired country yield the best results in account trust.

Datacenter Proxies — Use with Caution

Datacenter proxies are faster and cheaper, but the GFW actively blocks IP ranges of major hosting providers. If you need a datacenter proxy to work with China — choose providers with IPs from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Singapore: these geolocations historically have better connectivity with Chinese networks.

Protocols That Bypass the Firewall in 2024

Choosing a protocol is the second most important factor after the type of proxy. Even a good residential IP won't help if the connection protocol is instantly recognized by the GFW.

SOCKS5 with Obfuscation — A Working Option

Standard SOCKS5 without additional protection is easily recognized by the GFW. However, SOCKS5 combined with traffic obfuscation (when the connection is disguised as regular HTTPS) is a significantly better option. Most quality proxy providers support SOCKS5 over TLS, making the traffic virtually indistinguishable from regular web surfing.

In anti-detect browsers (Dolphin Anty, AdsPower, GoLogin), always choose SOCKS5 when configuring proxies, not HTTP — this provides an additional layer of protection against recognition.

HTTPS Proxies — Basic but Working

HTTPS proxies (tunneling via the CONNECT method) work by making all traffic look like regular encrypted HTTPS connections. The GFW cannot block all HTTPS without disconnecting half of the Chinese internet. The downside: HTTPS proxies are less flexible than SOCKS5 and do not support all types of traffic.

What Definitely Doesn’t Work

The Role of Proxy Geolocation

If you are working from China and want to access blocked services — the proxy must be outside of China. Optimal geolocations: Hong Kong (minimal latency), Japan, Singapore, USA. Hong Kong historically has direct trunk channels with mainland China, providing the lowest latency.

If you are working from outside China and need a Chinese IP — for example, to monitor prices on Taobao, JD.com, or Pinduoduo — you need residential proxies with geolocation in China. This is a different task: here it is important that the IP is a "real" Chinese one, not a datacenter one.

Use Cases: Arbitrage, SMM, E-commerce

Let’s analyze specific working situations that specialists face when dealing with Chinese traffic.

Scenario 1: An Arbitrage Specialist Launches Ads Targeting a Chinese Audience via Facebook Ads

Task: Manage Facebook advertising accounts from China or create accounts with Chinese geolocation. Facebook is blocked in China, so any work with it requires proxies outside the GFW.

Solution: A residential proxy with geolocation in Hong Kong or the USA + an anti-detect browser (Dolphin Anty or AdsPower). Each advertising account should have a separate browser profile with a separate proxy. Connection protocol — SOCKS5. Important: Do not change the proxy geolocation for one account — Facebook tracks country changes and may request verification.

Scenario 2: An SMM Specialist Manages Accounts on Weibo and Douyin

Task: Manage Chinese social networks from Russia or Europe. Weibo and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) require a Chinese IP for full functionality — without it, some features are unavailable, and the account appears suspicious.

Solution: Residential proxies with geolocation in China (Guangdong province, Shanghai, Beijing — the most "trusted" geolocations for Chinese platforms). Each account should have a separate profile in Multilogin or Octo Browser with a sticky IP that does not change between sessions.

Scenario 3: Monitoring Prices on Chinese Marketplaces

Task: Scrape prices on Taobao, JD.com, Pinduoduo for comparison with Russian marketplaces or for finding products for resale.

Solution: Rotating residential proxies with geolocation in China. Each request goes through a new IP — this simulates the behavior of different users and reduces the risk of blocking. For scraping Taobao, rotation is especially important, as the platform aggressively protects against automated requests.

Scenario 4: Working with TikTok Ads for the Chinese Market

TikTok Ads (international version) and Douyin Ads (Chinese version) are different platforms with different requirements. To work with TikTok Ads from China, a proxy outside the GFW is needed. For Douyin Ads — on the contrary, a Chinese IP is required. Mobile proxies are particularly effective here: TikTok was originally created as a mobile application, and mobile IPs raise less suspicion with the platform's algorithms.

Configuring Proxies in Anti-Detect Browsers for Working with China

An anti-detect browser is an essential tool for anyone working with multiple accounts on Chinese or international platforms from China. Let’s go through the step-by-step setup using popular tools.

Dolphin Anty: Step-by-Step Setup

AdsPower: Key Settings

Critically Important Setting: DNS Through Proxy

This is one of the most common failures when working with China. If DNS requests go directly (not through the proxy) — they fall under Chinese DNS filtering, and you receive incorrect IPs for blocked domains. All anti-detect browsers have an option for "DNS through Proxy" or "Remote DNS" — it should always be enabled when working with China.

GoLogin and Multilogin: General Principles

In GoLogin and Multilogin, the logic is the same: create a profile, add SOCKS5 proxy, enable "WebRTC: Disabled" (to avoid exposing the real IP through WebRTC), synchronize the timezone and language with the proxy's geolocation. In Multilogin, you can additionally configure Canvas fingerprint and WebGL — this is useful for working with platforms that actively use fingerprinting (Douyin, Weibo).

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with the right proxies and an anti-detect browser, mistakes can lead to account or connection blocking.

Checklist Before Starting Work with China

Conclusion

Working with China is a separate discipline in the world of proxies and multi-accounting. The Great Firewall is one of the most complex internet filtering systems in the world, and bypassing it with standard tools is not possible. Key takeaways from this article:

• Standard HTTP proxies and VPNs without obfuscation do not work in China — the GFW recognizes them
• Residential proxies with the correct geolocation are the optimal choice for accounts and advertising
• Mobile proxies pose the least risk of blocking for farming and working with TikTok/Douyin
• SOCKS5 protocol is the preferred option for anti-detect browsers
• DNS through the proxy is a mandatory setting, without which everything else is useless
• Synchronizing timezone, language, and geolocation is basic hygiene for any account

If you plan to work with Chinese traffic — whether it’s advertising on Facebook Ads with geolocation in China, managing accounts on Weibo and Douyin, or monitoring prices on Taobao — we recommend starting with residential proxies with geolocation in Hong Kong or mainland China. This will provide the best balance between connection reliability, account trust, and minimal risk of blocks from the GFW.