The population of Shenzhen, China has rapidly expanded in the last half-century. In 1979, the Chinese government granted city status to the town and gave them the designation of “Special Economic Zone”. When that happened, the size increased from 30,000 to 10.3 million. However, that number may be higher. The city is located on China’s mainland and is directly north of Hong Kong. Only 10 miles separate the two cities. A tunnel, ferries, and a toll road connect them together. If you will be traveling to Shenzhen for various reasons, you will need to use a VPN when using the internet.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 73 | |
Human habitation in Shenzhen dates back to 5000 BCE. From the third century BCE, the city was a center for the salt monopoly. The area was strategically important because it was part of the main trade route to India. After that point, the city was a major naval center.
As we mentioned, the population has exploded since 1979 and the city was the first of 5 Special Economic Zones. Climate-wise, winters are mild and dry because the city is located 1 degree above the tropic of Cancer. The economic output ranks 3rd out of 659 Chinese cities and in the top twenty on the Global Financial Centres Index. When visiting, you will find almost anything you want to do there. In fact, you may temporarily forget you are in a Communist country.
However, you will remember quickly if you want to use the internet. The Chinese government actively monitors all internet traffic. Additionally, there are thieves that would just love to get their hands on your personal data. By using a VPN to create a secure and encrypted connection, you make it very hard for anyone to get your information. Keep in mind though, if the Chinese government wants your information it will find ways to get it.
Another very important reason to use a VPN while there is to get around censorship. Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that China’s Great Firewall is legendary. The firewall will block you from seeing almost all of the top sites you can think of. Instead, you can connect to a VPN server located somewhere else. There’s a little more involved when connecting from China, but the end result is accessing sites as you normally would.
Let’s jump right in and take a look at the best VPNs for Shenzhen.
1. ExpressVPN
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Founded in 2009, ExpressVPN has a long track record of being one of the top VPN providers in the industry. Experts often tout them for the size, consistent speed, and quality of their network. With the addition of several features that the service offers, it is not hard to see why they are regularly one of the top choices in the community. Even though their service may be at a higher cost than some others, we feel the value, speed, and features more than make up for the difference.
A big issue that some VPN providers have involves location. ExpressVPN is under the laws of the British Virgin Islands. This makes a difference because it places the VPN outside of the jurisdiction of the “14 eyes” countries. If you are not aware, that is an alliance of countries that share information. In other words, if one country has access to it, the all 14 nations do as well. When combined with their no-logs policy, you can feel confident that ExpressVPN will help to keep you and your information safe.
ExpressVPN launched in 2009 and has grown into a premier VPN service. Whether you want to protect your privacy online, enjoy your favorite streaming services while traveling, or watch live sports, ExpressVPN is a great choice. You can rely on their network for fast, stable connections. This is true for VPN users and those who rely on their MediaStreamer feature to extend functionality to game consoles and more. We suggest signing up for our ExpressVPN deal which includes 3 months free when you subscribe for 12 months. The savings, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee make ExpressVPN an excellent choice.
2. NordVPN
Whether you play games that are based online or are looking for the newest version of your favorite, the developers often release them at different times in different regions. If you want to get early access, however, NordVPN has you covered. By connecting to a server in the right region, you will make the source think you are local to the area. Depending on where the game developers are, some of the most popular companies come from counties like Korea, Japan, the US, or others.
Sometimes, you need the protection of a VPN but the safety of knowing that you will have the same IP address every time. If you are looking for a provider that will give you a dedicated IP address, NordVPN has you covered. The advantages of doing so include the ability to secure your online payments, skip captchas and blacklists, and secure access to business servers. Keep in mind, though, that getting one will make you a bit easier to track, and you can only use it on two devices at the same time.
3. Private Internet Access
As more and more TV users cut the cord, many of them still want the ability to watch their favorite sports team in action. With a VPN from Private Internet Access, you don’t have to miss out. Unfortunately, licensing rights to the team will consider you to be “in-market” if you try to watch online. That means you would typically miss out unless you chose a VPN server located outside the region. Simply connect to a VPN in a different area, and you will be able to enjoy it.
If you are going to visit a country or you live in a region that censors content, Private Internet Access is an excellent option to use. With the various safeguards and features that the company has, you will be able to defeat this type of censorship. Whether you are trying to access social networks, political discourse websites, or any other kind of banned content, you can be sure that Private Internet Access will help you access all the content you want to see.
4. IPVanish
IPVanish includes a nice addon called SugarSync cloud storage with their VPN service. While they are not the only ones to offer that type of benefit for their users, they were one of the first. It provides you with 250 GB of free cloud storage space. No matter what items you choose to store, it will help you make sure that you do not lose any non-replaceable documents, images, or files that you want to keep safe. That way, when something happens to your phone or computer, you don’t have to worry.
If you are like most gamers, you are aware that lag can cause big problems. Sometimes, that can be a result of a busy game server or a congested network. By connecting to a VPN like IPVanish, you can help stop that from happening. What that will do is re-route your gaming traffic to a less populated server. Doing so may help you get a better experience so that you can enjoy your favorite games. That could make the difference between winning the match, or losing it.
