UPDATE APRIL 2012:

Securitales is a Web Based Service that is not blocked.  A web based service is different from a VPN, but can also unblock sites in China.  The advantage of a Web based service over a VPN is that you don't have to download anything onto your computer. It works on iPhone, iPad and other smart phones as well as laptop and desktop operating systems like Mac, Windows, and Linux.

The most important thing right now is that it's NOT BLOCKED.

Check out Securitales at www.securitales.com.

Trying to unblock Youtube in China these days is pretty easy if you know what you're looking for. After recent talks with Gmail executives and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg it seems obvious that western media in China is just not welcome.  So for expats and Chinese citizens who want to chill out and watch some Youtube videos, see what's going on in the USA by checking Facebook, or blog about something not related to China in any way, you've got to get a VPN.

A VPN is a "virtual private network" and with a vpn you can unblock Youtube in China.  It's pretty easy to get started. If you're interested in how they work, you can read the next paragraph. If you want to get started now,

CLICK HERE FOR 12VPN SERVICE

A vpn was created as a solution for businesses to keep employees on a leash.  My creating a private network back at the office, employees on the go, on business trips somewhere else in the world, or in a meeting somewhere other than "Home Base" could connect to the vpn and send/receive private information without worry about it being intercepted or spied on by others.  By encrypting and tunneling information to private servers, they could surf anonymously and get their business done.

Today it helps us unblock Youtube in China like this; A vpn company sets up the "private server" somewhere in the world. In this case, somewhere outside of China. After downloading the vpn and setting it up, we can then access this server. When we do this, our information is encrypted and sent to the vpn server (let's say in the USA).  When it is decoded and sent to the place we intended it for (Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc), we then have the IP address of the VPN server, not the IP address of our computer.  Because we now have the IP address of a server in the USA, we are able to access blocked sites.  This is how we unblock Youtube in China.

To get a vpn is simple. Just go the vpn site of your choice, download the vpn, and follow the instructions they provide. How involved each setup procedure may vary, but in general you can get it done in about ten minutes.  Not a problem.  How much is this going to cost you? A place like Astrill will cost $65 a year. 12vpn is $50  Other places will cost you $120 or more.  Cheaper places will generally have restrictions like bandwidth (how much you can download/upload), whether or not you can use P2P (exchange large files with other users), or how many servers you can connect to.  In general, to unblock Youtube in China you don't need anything fancy, but you should get something fast enough to stream video.

I recommend 12vpn's World Service (Great with any Operating System)

In recent months we saw many popular vpn services blocked, as well as PPTP and L2TP vpn protocols which are used for mobile devices. If you are in China and want to get a vpn for a mobile device like iPhone or iPad, be sure to check with your vpn service before purchasing because most of them are blocked.  OpenVPN/SSL still work with the majority of companies and is the vpn protocol of choice for users in China

So what are you waiting for?!

Securitales is a Web Based Service that is currently available (not blocked) in China. This means that you don't have to install anything on your computer, unlike a VPN.  Many people like this service for work, school, and especially for iPhone and iPad (l2TP and PPTP VPN protocols for mobile devices are blocked)

Or you can head over to Unblock Facebook in China where I maintain a blog with updates on Gmail, Google, new VPN services, vpn reviews, vpn price comparisons.