My VPN died in April 2026. Here's what actually still works.

Kurokun

April 2026. The day the VPN community calls "The Great Unplug."

Chinese authorities physically disconnected thousands of domestic relay servers. Overnight, most Shadowsocks, V2Ray, and Trojan-based services went dark.

I was in Shanghai when it happened. My VPN worked at 9 AM. By noon, nothing.

What died:

❌ WireGuard — blocked within seconds
❌ OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) — blocked within minutes
❌ Standard Shadowsocks — degraded, often unusable
❌ Any service using domestic relay servers — wiped out

What survived:

✅ Astrill (StealthVPN protocol) — direct overseas connection, no relays
✅ ExpressVPN (Lightway/Automatic) — built-in obfuscation
✅ Surfshark (NoBorders mode) — active since the crackdown
✅ VLESS + Reality — for the technically inclined

The technical reason:

The GFW added:
• QUIC SNI inspection
• DoH identification
• Entropy analysis (detects high-entropy streams)
• Active probing (sends test packets to suspected servers)

Standard protocols have recognizable "fingerprints." The GFW now identifies and blocks them automatically.

What I do now:

• I run two different VPNs from two different providers. When one dies, I switch instantly.
• I never enter China with just one VPN. That's asking for trouble.
• I download and test both before I leave home.
• I carry a backup eSIM with data that bypasses the GFW.

My friend in Beijing uses Astrill + ExpressVPN. He says: "One will always work. Which one varies by the day."

If your VPN stops working:
1. Switch protocols (StealthVPN, OpenWeb, Lightway)
2. Switch servers
3. Switch VPN apps entirely
4. Use hotel business center computers (sometimes unrestricted)

The golden rule:
Never rely on a single VPN in China. The GFW is a living thing. It evolves. Your setup must evolve with it.

What's your VPN stack right now? Anyone else survive the April 2026 crackdown?