Yes, in practice. Netflix doesn't operate in mainland China, and its own help center lists China among the few places where the service isn't available, alongside North Korea, Russia, Syria and Crimea. The website is also blocked by the Great Firewall, so your US subscription won't load on a Chinese network.
Why Netflix never launched
Foreign streaming services need a local partner and government content approval to operate in China. Netflix explored entering for years, then dropped those plans and chose to license some of its shows to iQiyi, a Chinese streaming platform, instead. That's why a few Netflix originals turn up legally on Chinese services while the Netflix app itself doesn't work.
Hong Kong and Macau are different. Both sit outside the Great Firewall, and Netflix works there normally.
Watching your shows while in China
- Download before you fly. The Netflix app lets you save many titles for offline viewing on your phone or tablet. This is the simplest legal option.
- Use international roaming or a travel eSIM. Roaming data from a US carrier, and many travel eSIMs, route traffic out through a gateway abroad, usually Hong Kong, so blocked sites load. esimDB explains that this works because your data exits outside the mainland. Streaming eats data quickly, so watch your allowance.
- Use a VPN carefully. China bans unlicensed VPNs, according to Freedom House. Enforcement mostly targets locals and providers, but it isn't legal, and connections are often unreliable.
For local options, iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku are the big Chinese streaming services, though most content is in Mandarin.