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Browse more guides: China travel | Asia destinations Does Skype Work in China? Connectivity Guide Last updated: April 2026 · 11 min read Short answer first. Skype has been officially blocked in China since November 2017, when Microsoft pulled the app from Chinese app stores to comply with the Cyberspace Administration of China. Some travelers report it loading intermittently with a VPN. I wouldn't bet a business call on it. The setup that actually works for Western tourists in 2026 is a three-part stack: WeChat (because everyone in China uses it), Tencent Meeting or Microsoft Teams via VPN for video calls, and FaceTime, which works through Chinese carrier infrastructure thanks to Apple's iCloud-China joint venture. I've been to mainland China multiple times , Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an , and currently keep WeChat installed for friends and clients there. The connectivity rules change in small ways every year. The big picture hasn't. TL;DR: Skype in Ch...

Browse more guides: China travel | Asia destinations Shanghai China Complete Guide 2026: The Bund, Pudong, Disneyland, Yu Garden & Zhujiajiao Water Town TL;DR I spent fifteen days in Shanghai across two trips, and it kept rearranging my mental picture of what a Chinese megacity actually feels like. On one bank of the Huangpu River sits The Bund, a 1.5km waterfront lined with 52 colonial buildings from 1856 to 1937 done in Art Deco and Beaux Arts stone. Directly across the water rises Pudong, where Shanghai Tower at 632m (the world's 2nd-tallest building since 2015) stands beside Jin Mao Tower (421m, 1999), Shanghai World Financial Center (492m, 2008), and Oriental Pearl TV Tower (468m, 1994). The contrast is the entire pitch. Two practical updates make 2026 a much easier year for first-timers. First, China expanded its 30-day visa-free policy to 12 countries in 2024, and the 144-hour transit-free entry now covers 54 nationalities through Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao airpo...