Torrents in China Part 1

Category: Techtoday

Although it might seem obvious that torrents work in the bootleg-loving Middle Kingdom, there's the question of the Great Firewall stopping any such type of file-sharing.  The answer is yes it works and there is every likelihood that some of the movies or videos sold on the street come from that very source.  However, many expatriates have reported complaints regarding the lackluster speeds of the downloads.  Many have rightly blamed the Great Firewall, while others just diss the country's broadband.   
 
Personally, I think the speed of web browsing is just fine.  I have no issues streaming video from news sites and accessing iTunes even when running on a basic broadband plan in Shanghai - without proxy servers or a VPN.   
 
With a rush of new Linux distribution releases and a new FreeBSD version out, will I be unable to download them using uTorrent in Windows or Ktorrent/Transmission in Linux?  The answer is a resounding yes.


 
As for dedicated leachers in the Zhonghua Nation looking to download media from Piratebay, Isohunt, and other popular sites, the answer is a bit more complicated:  

1. Many of the more popular torrent sites are blocked, including Piratebay and Isohunt.
2. As of this writing, there are plenty of sites like EZTV.it, Btscene.eu, Kickass Torrents, and Fenopy.eu that are accessible and provide fairly dependable torrents.
3. There are also plenty of torrent search engines that work such as Torrentz.eu.  However, there's no guarantee that if the link is found on a blocked torrent site, the browser will be able to request for it.
4. If you're that desperate, have someone outside China send you the Magnet Link or Torrent file.  It will open without any problems.  This method is one of the reasons why Microsoft censored Pirate Bay torrent links in Windows Live Messenger. 
5. If you can read Chinese, look for a Chinese torrent site or try Xunlei.

Speed could be an issue for those used to blitzkrieg downloads but why complain?  There are plenty of other things to do in the Middle Kingdom than watch an episode or two of U.S. TV shows.  Now go download a torrent of Knoppix or Clonezilla and give it a whirl.