Every March, China holds the National People's Congress (NPC) -- the annual meeting of the country's legislative body. For two weeks, the Great Firewall operates at its highest intensity. VPNs that work perfectly the other 50 weeks of the year suddenly fail.

What Happens During NPC

The GFW intensification during NPC typically includes:

  • Stricter DPI enforcement: Protocol detection thresholds are lowered. Traffic that might be allowed through during normal times is blocked.
  • Expanded IP blocklists: More aggressive blocking of suspected VPN server IPs.
  • Increased active probing: More frequent probing of suspected VPN servers.
  • UDP throttling: Heavier throttling of UDP traffic, affecting Hysteria2 and WireGuard-based VPNs.
  • Bandwidth reduction: International bandwidth is intentionally reduced, even for non-VPN traffic.

Timeline of Typical NPC Disruption

Based on patterns from previous years:

  • 1-2 weeks before NPC: Gradual tightening. Some VPNs start experiencing more frequent disconnections.
  • Opening day: Sharp increase in blocking. Many commercial VPNs go down completely.
  • During sessions (2 weeks): Sustained high-intensity filtering. VPN reliability varies day to day.
  • 1-3 days after closing: Gradual return to normal filtering levels.

Which VPNs Survive NPC

During NPC 2025 and early 2026:

  • VLESS+Reality: Maintained connection through the entire period. The protocol's TLS mimicry was not affected by increased DPI.
  • Astrill StealthVPN: Partial outages. Some servers worked, others did not. Users reported 2-3 day periods of reduced connectivity.
  • ExpressVPN Lightway: Multi-day outages reported during peak NPC days.
  • NordVPN NordWhisper: Variable. Some users maintained connection, others reported complete failures.
  • Shadowsocks/Trojan: Most Shadowsocks connections were detected and blocked within the first few days.

How to Prepare

  1. Test your VPN before NPC starts. If it is already showing signs of instability, it will likely fail during NPC.
  2. Have a backup plan. If your primary VPN is a commercial service, consider setting up VLESS+Reality as a fallback.
  3. Download essential files before NPC. Any large downloads, software updates, or reference materials should be cached locally.
  4. Schedule critical meetings outside NPC if possible. If you have flexibility, avoid scheduling important video calls during the first few days of NPC.
  5. Switch to China Telecom if possible. Telecom handles VPN traffic better than Mobile during sensitive periods.

NPC 2026 dates: March 5-15 (approximate). Start preparing by late February. The first 3 days are typically the worst for VPN disruptions.

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