TECH / Servers & Websites March 18, 2015 4 min read

China Public DNS Servers: Reliable DNS List, Setup Guide, and GFW Peculiarities

Antonio NEMCD Author

Published Mar 18, 2015 · Updated Nov 12, 2026 · 4 min

When configuring servers, remote connections, or local workstations in mainland China, users frequently encounter an unexpected network disruption: globally renowned resolvers such as Google DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) either fail to respond or return incorrect IP addresses. This behavior stems from the architecture of the Great Firewall of China (GFW), making reliable domestic Chinese DNS resolvers essential for consistent connectivity.

Why Google DNS and Cloudflare Falter in China

Standard DNS resolution relies on unencrypted UDP traffic transmitted over port 53. Edge inspection gateways throughout China monitor cross-border data flows in real time using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology.

When a device inside China queries a foreign resolver such as 8.8.8.8, GFW sensors intercept the request and immediately return a counterfeit address (a technique known as DNS Cache Poisoning) milliseconds before the legitimate response arrives from abroad. Consequently, clients attempt to reach invalid or non-responsive destinations. Furthermore, many well-known foreign DNS IP addresses face deliberate latency throttling or direct gateway blacklisting.

Top Public DNS Servers in China (Tested & Verified)

To ensure dependable performance on cloud instances (Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Huawei Cloud), reliable package installations, and rapid name resolution across Asia, network engineers rely on domestic Anycast resolvers provided by major Chinese tech corporations:

DNS	Addresses
114DNS	Primary: `114.114.114.114` Secondary: `114.114.115.115` IPv6: `240c::6666`
AliDNS Alibaba	Primary: `223.5.5.5` Secondary: `223.6.6.6` IPv6: `2400:3200::1` DoH: `https://dns.alidns.com/dns-query` DoT: `dns.alidns.com`
DNSPod Tencent	Primary: `119.29.29.29` Secondary: `182.254.116.116` IPv6: `2402:4e00::` DoH: `https://doh.pub/dns-query` DoT: `dot.pub`
Baidu DNS	Primary: `180.76.76.76` IPv6: `2400:da00::6666`

In short:

114DNS: the most widespread independent public DNS in China, fast on all domestic carriers.
AliDNS: Anycast DNS operated by Alibaba, low latency worldwide, DoH and DoT support.
DNSPod: Tencent’s public resolver (the company behind WeChat) with geo-routing.
Baidu DNS: the Baidu search engine’s resolver, quick to pick up record changes for Chinese sites.

Why Use Chinese DNS Outside of China

Configuring resolvers such as 223.5.5.5 or 114.114.114.114 provides concrete benefits even when operating outside mainland China:

Faster firmware and dependency mirrors: accelerated downloads for Xiaomi, Huawei, and OnePlus updates, alongside Chinese package mirrors (Taobao npm, PyPI).
E-commerce API integration: consistent latency when connecting to Taobao, 1688, WeChat Pay, and Alipay infrastructure.
Cross-border diagnostics: validating how your services and domains resolve from the perspective of mainland Chinese users.

Configuring China DNS on Servers and PCs

1. Linux Configuration (Ubuntu / Debian / CentOS)

The simplest method is adding the addresses to /etc/resolv.conf:

nameserver 223.5.5.5
nameserver 114.114.114.114

However, on Ubuntu and other systems with systemd-resolved, the service manages this file and will overwrite manual edits. Check:

ls -l /etc/resolv.conf

If the file is a link to /run/systemd/resolve/…, use the method below.

If your distribution manages DNS via systemd-resolved, edit /etc/systemd/resolved.conf:

[Resolve]
DNS=223.5.5.5 114.114.114.114
FallbackDNS=223.6.6.6 114.114.115.115

Apply the settings by restarting the service:

sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

2. Windows Configuration

Method 1: Universal PowerShell Command (Run as Administrator)
This command finds your connected network adapters (Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable) and assigns the DNS addresses to them. It works on Windows 8, 10 and 11; Windows 7 doesn’t have these commands, so use method 2.

$dns = "223.5.5.5", "114.114.114.114"
Get-NetAdapter -Physical |
  Where-Object Status -eq "Up" |
  Set-DnsClientServerAddress `
    -ServerAddresses $dns

The -Physical switch keeps only real network adapters, so VPN and virtual adapters (Hyper-V, VirtualBox) are left alone.

To restore automatic DNS resolution from your router (DHCP):

Get-NetAdapter -Physical |
  Where-Object Status -eq "Up" |
  Set-DnsClientServerAddress `
    -ResetServerAddresses

Method 2: Via Graphical Interface (GUI)

Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter to open Network Connections.
Right-click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and select Properties.
Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the components list.
Select Use the following DNS server addresses and specify:
- Preferred DNS server: 223.5.5.5
- Alternate DNS server: 114.114.114.114
Click OK to apply the new configuration.

Important Note: Domestic Chinese resolvers eliminate latency penalties, connection drops, and poisoning errors for Chinese internet resources. However, they comply with mainland regulatory frameworks and filter restricted domains. To access filtered international platforms from within China, encrypted transport tunnels are necessary.