WordPress in China: Is It Blocked, and How to Optimize Your Site

WordPress is not blocked in China: the open-source software from WordPress.org runs on any server, including servers in mainland China. What slows or breaks WordPress sites there is their hosting and the resources they load, such as Google Fonts or YouTube embeds. The hosted service WordPress.com is a different case: it has been blocked in China.

Key takeaways

• The WordPress software is not blocked in China, and WordPress sites run well there when they are hosted and configured for Chinese users.
• Hosting in mainland China gives the best speed but needs an ICP filing, completed through an entity registered in China. Hosting in Hong Kong needs no filing.
• Remove or replace what Chinese users cannot load: Google Fonts, Google Maps, YouTube and other foreign embeds.
• Check a plugin’s update history before you install it: several plugins long recommended for China have not been updated for years.
• To sell online, integrate the payment methods Chinese customers use, such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay.

WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world. Using WordPress in China is less straightforward than in Europe or North America, and many site owners wonder whether the Great Firewall blocks it, how to host a WordPress website in China, and which adjustments work best. This guide answers these questions.

Is WordPress Blocked in China?

The answer depends on which WordPress you mean. WordPress.com and WordPress.org share a name, but they are two different things.

WordPress.com is a hosting service. You create a WordPress website that runs on the servers of WordPress.com, so your site depends on the platform. Being a hosted service, WordPress.com is blocked in China.

WordPress.org is where you download the free, open-source WordPress software. You install it on the hosting service of your choice, and that software is not blocked in China. For your website to load well for Chinese users, however, you must choose its hosting carefully and avoid the resources that the Great Firewall blocks.

Does WordPress Work Well in China?

Yes. WordPress powers institutional websites, brand websites and e-learning platforms that serve Chinese audiences.

• Erno Laszlo. QPSoftware built Erno Laszlo’s brand website for the Chinese market on WordPress, connected to the brand’s Tmall store and to its presence on WeChat, Xiaohongshu and Sina blog.
• Motif. For Motif’s WordPress e-learning platform, QPSoftware developed new course and learning analytics features with LearnDash and SCORM, then ran the site’s SEO. Motif’s website is at motif.org.
• CanCham. CanCham, the Canadian Chamber in Shanghai, runs an institutional WordPress website designed by QPSoftware.

WordPress Hosting in China: Mainland or Hong Kong?

To reach a Chinese audience, your WordPress website does not have to be hosted in China. There are good reasons to consider it, though.

Every website that serves China deals with the Great Firewall. A site hosted abroad that relies on blocked resources loads slowly or partly, which gives visitors a poor experience. Hosting your website in China takes more steps, but it removes most speed problems.

What you need to host WordPress in China

First, a company registered in China. The Chinese business license lets you apply for an ICP filing, which every website hosted on a mainland server needs before it goes live. The same filing opens access to a China CDN (content delivery network), another way to speed up your site.

Some brands also register a .cn domain name for their Chinese website. It is an option, not a requirement for hosting in China.

Without an entity in China, host your WordPress site in Hong Kong, which needs no ICP filing, and optimize it as described below. If you are unsure which route fits your project, our China website compliance consulting team can review it with you.

How to Keep Your WordPress Site from Being Blocked or Slowed Down

Investing time and money in a website that the Great Firewall then blocks is a result no one wants.

Make sure your site respects Chinese regulations on content and language. Hosting within China, with an ICP filing, avoids many issues, and local experts can help you work within the regulations.

On the technical side, avoid the APIs that are blocked in China. They show content from other platforms, such as YouTube, Google Maps, Facebook or Instagram. Replace them with local services such as Youku, Baidu Maps or WeChat, or remove them. Our article on why a website does not work in China lists the usual culprits.

Finally, to make your website easier to find for Chinese users, we recommend submitting your website to Baidu.

Which WordPress Plugins Help in China?

Plugins can give your WordPress site an edge with Chinese users. Check each plugin’s page on WordPress.org before installing it: the last update and the “tested up to” version tell you whether it is still maintained.

Multilingual content

Content in Chinese is essential to succeed in the local market, and WordPress does not manage several languages on its own. Polylang lets you run a multilingual site, from one extra language to ten or more. The Page Specific Menu Items plugin, which this article recommended in 2019 to manage Chinese menus, has not been updated since 2016.

Google Fonts

Google services are blocked or unreliable in China, so remove anything your site loads from Google, starting with Google Fonts. OMGF hosts the Google Fonts your theme uses on your own server, which removes the requests to Google. The two plugins this article suggested in 2019 are no longer good choices: Remove Google Fonts References was closed on WordPress.org in July 2021, and Disable Google Fonts has not been updated for years.

Video embeds

Advanced Responsive Video Embedder embeds videos from many providers, including the Chinese platforms Youku and Tencent Video, which suits sites that target Chinese users with video.

Social sharing

Sharing plugins for the most popular Chinese social networks, such as Weibo and WeChat, make your content easier to share and more visible. Check them closely: the Sina Weibo Like Button plugin, for example, has not been updated for more than ten years.

Use Chinese Social Networks

Facebook, Google, YouTube, Instagram and other platforms are blocked in China. Use local social media and platforms such as WeChat, Baidu, Youku and Weibo to organize your marketing campaigns. These networks improve your chances of reaching the local audience.

Use Chinese Payment Gateways for Your WordPress E-commerce

China prefers local solutions, and payments are no exception.

To collect payments from Chinese customers, adapt your payment methods to what works in China: Alipay and WeChat Pay for online and mobile payments, and UnionPay for card payments.

These payment options are essential to sell online in China, so integrate them into your WordPress and e-commerce websites.

Web Design Tips for Your WordPress Website in China

When you create a Chinese website, providing it in both English and Chinese is very useful: expats and visitors who do not read Chinese can still use your site.

Pay attention to the layout and the look of your website as well. If you already have a website, translating the content may not be enough to appeal to the local audience.

The colors you use, the images you add, the way you organize your pages and the way you write the content all matter in this market. You may need a dedicated website that follows the most popular web design trends in China. Working with local experts like QPSoftware is often the easiest way to get this right.

What Should You Do Next?

Running a WordPress website in China is possible. Decide where to host it, remove the resources that are blocked, check your plugins, and add local payment methods and social networks.

China is not an easy environment for foreign online businesses, but you do not have to go it alone. QPSoftware is a digital agency in Shanghai, founded in 2009, offering WordPress and e-commerce website design and development. We can help you make your website work in China, from hosting to the ICP filing. Contact QPSoftware to discuss your project.

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