Crypto Exchanges China Ban: What Happened and Where to Trade Now

When Crypto Exchanges China ban, the 2021 government decision that shut down all domestic crypto trading platforms and outlawed transaction processing. Also known as China's crypto crackdown, it forced exchanges like Binance and Huobi to exit the mainland, froze local wallet services, and made mining operations illegal. This wasn’t just a regulatory tweak—it was a full system reset. The goal? To control financial flows, protect the yuan, and stop capital flight. But instead of killing crypto, it pushed users offshore and sparked a wave of P2P trading, offshore exchanges, and decentralized workarounds.

What followed was a split: Binance China, the local arm of the world’s largest exchange, which shut down its domestic operations and redirected users to international platforms, and Chinese miners, who moved operations to Kazakhstan, Georgia, and the U.S. after losing access to cheap hydroelectric power. Meanwhile, users didn’t disappear—they adapted. P2P platforms like LocalBitcoins and Paxful exploded in usage, with traders using WeChat and QQ to swap CNY for USDT. The government tried to block these too, but cash-in-hand deals and anonymous wallets kept the flow alive. Even today, China remains one of the largest crypto markets by volume, just not on licensed exchanges.

And while the ban stopped institutional players, it didn’t stop innovation. DeFi protocols with no KYC, cross-chain bridges, and non-custodial wallets became the new backbone. People learned to use MetaMask, Trust Wallet, and hardware keys—not exchange accounts. The result? A more decentralized, harder-to-control ecosystem. The Crypto Exchanges China ban didn’t end crypto in China—it just moved it underground and made it more resilient.

Below, you’ll find real reviews and deep dives into exchanges that survived the purge, scams that popped up in the vacuum, and how traders are still getting exposure to crypto without touching a Chinese-licensed platform. Some posts cover exchanges that claim to serve Chinese users but are actually offshore. Others expose fake airdrops targeting those desperate for access. Every article here is grounded in what’s actually happening—not what regulators say should be happening.