Does Netflix work in China?
The honest version: one option that always works, and why a VPN is a maybe for Netflix in particular. For video that does work well through a VPN, see Does YouTube work in China?
The short answer
No. Netflix has never launched in mainland China, so on a Chinese connection the site and app do not work at all. Hong Kong and Macau have their own Netflix and are not affected.
Your subscription itself is fine — it works in any country where Netflix operates. The problem is only getting a connection Netflix will accept from inside the mainland.
The option that always works: download before you fly
The Netflix app on phones and tablets lets you download many films and episodes to watch offline. Downloaded titles play on the plane, in the hotel and anywhere else with no connection at all.
- —Download on Wi-Fi at home, in the mobile app — not every title can be downloaded, and the app shows which can
- —Downloads expire after a while and some titles limit how many times you can download them; the app tells you
- —Your plan limits how many devices can hold downloads at once
What to expect from a VPN
A VPN gets you to Netflix, but Netflix runs its own checks on where you are connecting from. Many VPN addresses are on its block list, and when you hit one you see an error saying you seem to be using an unblocker or proxy — the site loads, nothing plays.
That applies to virtually every VPN, ours included: whether Netflix plays depends on the particular server address, and it can change. Treat streaming Netflix through a VPN in China as something that may work rather than something to rely on, and test it during a free trial before paying.
When it does work, you see the Netflix catalogue of the country the VPN server is in, not your home catalogue.
If you are going for a week or two, downloads are the better plan. A VPN is still worth having for everything else — Google, WhatsApp, Instagram — and for YouTube, which does not block VPNs the way Netflix does.
What people in China watch instead
iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku carry a lot of Chinese and Korean drama and some licensed Western shows, and Bilibili is the place for creators and anime. They work without a VPN.