How to Watch Chinese TV in USA States & Abroad in 2023

How to Watch Chinese TV in USA States: Where Can I Find Chinese Content Online?

U.S. streaming service Sling TV has a Mandarin TV package called Great Wall TV. Those with Great Wall TV have access to 22 channels, including CCTV, Zhejiang TV and Hunan TV. To sign up for Sling TV, you will need a U.S. payment method like a U.S. credit card, a Paypal account or a Sling TV gift card.

For Cantonese speakers and learners, Sling TV offers Jadeworld, which gives you access to nine live Cantonese channels. Taiwanese Mega is Sling TV’s Taiwanese content package, and it currently offers 16 channels. The prices for these plans are separate from the standard Sling TV packages — you can purchase them as standalone packages.

You can also find Roku channels with Chinese content, including China TV, ACTV Mandarin, Chinese Zone and Innovative Language (for Chinese learners). Some Roku channels may be completely free or have free plans (like Innovative Language), whereas others may be subscription services.

How Can I Watch Chinese TV in the USA for Free?

Sling TV’s Mandarin TV package Great Wall TV offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers, as does its Cantonese package, Jadeworld, and its Taiwanese package, Taiwanese Mega. YouTube is also a great source of Chinese content, as many Chinese channels have YouTube channels.

Alternatively, you can access Chinese TV via Chinese TV streaming platforms and sites. For example, we were able to easily access a wide variety of Mandarin-language TV sites, including CCTV-1 and Zhejiang TV.

However, TV channel sites sometimes restrict viewership to only those within a country. For example, when we tried to access Jiangsu TV’s live stream, we received an error message informing us that the content is unavailable for copyright reasons. In situations like these, you can use a VPN.

How Does a VPN Help You Unblock Chinese Content Online?

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts and routes your traffic through a server in another location, changing your IP address to one of that locale. This allows you to access blocked streaming sites and services from other countries because the site you’re trying to access will see you as being where your new IP address says you are.

For example, if you’re outside China and can’t stream Chinese TV on the site you want, you can use a reliable VPN with Chinese servers to get a Chinese IP address and gain access.

One thing to be aware of: China is always stepping up its game when it comes to recognizing and blocking VPNs it hasn’t approved. For this reason, a VPN might not always be able to bypass the restrictions on a blocked site. On the flip side, VPN providers are always working to strengthen their unblocking power.

If a VPN isn’t working with the Chinese site you want, one workaround is to try out different Chinese server locations, which may, in some cases, mean downloading a different VPN if the one you’re using only has one server location in China.

While this can be frustrating, some VPNs, including those we recommend below, offer money-back guarantees, so you can always get your money back within a certain amount of time (often 30 days, but this varies) if you’re not having any luck with the Chinese servers.

Chinese Shows & Movies on Netflix: Is Netflix in China?

No, Netflix is not available in China, much to the dismay of many a traveler who heads over there. Fortunately, if you plan to travel to China, you can use a VPN to unblock Netflix while you’re there by connecting to a server in a country where Netflix is available, like the U.S.

When it comes to Chinese content on Netflix, the U.S. Netflix library has a selection of Mandarin, Taiwanese and Cantonese movies and shows. That said, Netflix libraries aren’t the same everywhere. For example, when we checked out the U.K. Netflix library, we found that the selection of Chinese-language content was slightly different from that in the U.S. library.

If you’d like to explore various Netflix libraries around the world to see what’s on offer, you can do so by connecting to a VPN server. For example, if you want to access the U.K. Netflix library, connect to a server based in the U.K., then proceed to use Netflix as normal. Extra tip — search for “Chinese movies & TV” in the Netflix search bar.

The 3 Best VPNs for Watching Chinese TV

The two most important factors in choosing a VPN to watch Chinese TV shows are how secure the provider is and whether or not it has Chinese servers. You’ll also want to pick one with decent speeds. Here are our top recommendations.

1. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a strong performer in the VPN industry, with an affordable long-term plan.

Pros:

Affordable long-term plan
Very user-friendly UI
Excellent security features

Cons:

Low average download speeds

CyberGhost is our top pick for watching Chinese TV in the U.S. and abroad because it’s a secure service with servers in China and a great track record for bypassing geoblocks. Better yet, the long-term plan and six-month plan both come with a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is a longer time frame than many of its competitors offer.

In addition, CyberGhost is extremely user-friendly, so is a great choice for complete beginners. In terms of cons, our daily speed tests show that CyberGhost’s average download speeds aren’t the best. They should, however, do fine for streaming content in standard quality. Check out our CyberGhost review for more.

CyberGhost Plans

2. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is a highly secure service with unlimited simultaneous connections.

Pros:

Very cheap long-term plan
Unlimited device connections
Decent speeds on average

Cons:

Average streaming performance

Private Internet Access is another very secure provider with a server location in Mainland China. Its long-term plan is very inexpensive, though its money-back guarantee is a bit shorter than CyberGhost’s, at 30 days. One of the major pros of Private Internet Access is that it offers unlimited device connections, so you can share your subscription with friends and family.

On the downside, Private Internet Access can be inconsistent with certain streaming services, not always making it past geoblocks. However, it works well with major streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which is a major pro. Check out our Private Internet Access review for more.

Standard Plans

3. Surfshark

Surfshark is a solid streaming VPN with great speeds and unlimited simultaneous connections.

Pros:

Cheap long-term plan
Unlimited device connections
Strong average speeds

Cons:

No servers in Mainland China

Surfshark is consistently one of our top VPN recommendations thanks to its long-term affordability, 30-day money-back guarantee, excellent speeds on average, top-notch security and unlimited simultaneous connections. You can find out more in our Surfshark review.

Just bear in mind that Surfshark, unlike our top two recommendations for Chinese streaming channels, does not have servers in Mainland China; instead, it offers ones in Macau, which is a special administrative region of China. For this reason, you might have trouble accessing some content from Mainland China.