Hugging Face in China: The Full Story of the Block

Quick answer

Hugging Face became largely unreachable from China in 2023. Third-party tracking by GFWeb shows a block starting on May 7, 2023. Users first reported access problems on the company forum in early May. Reports say the site was widely unavailable by mid-September, and Hugging Face confirmed "regrettable accessibility issues" on Oct 20, 2023 in public comments reported by news outlets. For background on China s AI growth and policy, see the company s summary here.

Quick takeaway: GFWeb provides a precise date (May 7, 2023). Company confirmation came months later. The most likely causes are new generative-AI rules and a push toward domestic platforms.

Complete timeline

Date	Event	Source
May 7, 2023	First block detected by GFWeb tracking	GFWeb / Rest of World
May 8, 2023	Users post that huggingface.co is inaccessible in China	Hugging Face forum
Sept 12, 2023	Newsletters and local reports say the site is largely unavailable	Semafor / ChinaTalk reporting
Oct 20, 2023	Hugging Face publicly acknowledges "regrettable accessibility issues" in China	Semafor

Why was Hugging Face blocked in China?

There s no single official explanation. Multiple, linked reasons explain the decision:

• New generative-AI rules: China issued rules in 2023 that require public-facing AI services to register and follow strict content controls. Platforms that host models and demos can fall under those rules. See discussion of the rules and effects in ChinaTalk s reporting.
• Content control: Chinese censors focus on tools that can generate text, images, or video. Hugging Face hosts thousands of open models and demos. That makes it higher risk under content rules.
• Industrial policy: Blocking foreign developer hubs nudges engineers toward local platforms and repositories. Reports note domestic alternatives like Gitee and state-backed projects getting preference.
• Security and scale concerns: Open-source model hubs can host models that don t meet local content filters. Authorities may block access rapidly when risks appear.

How this hit developers and teams

Practical effects were immediate for people who build or train models:

• Developers reported download failures and connection errors in public threads and GitHub issues — for example, issues about model downloads from China on GitHub.
• Forum posts show users trying VPNs and other workarounds with mixed results; some said even VPN nodes failed while a foreign SIM card worked briefly (forum).
• Open-source collaboration slowed when contributors inside China lost reliable access to the hub. Some teams said training and sharing models became harder after the block.

Neutral comparison

Compared with earlier blocks like GitHub in 2013 or ChatGPT in early 2023, this action targets an ecosystem of many models and demos rather than a single chat product. That raises different technical and community problems.

What to do if you re affected

If you work with Hugging Face and one or more users are in China, consider these safe, lawful steps:

• Confirm the status with official sources and the company s public posts. Hugging Face s own blog covers China-related developments here.
• Mirror essential models privately inside your organization or on approved local services. Avoid sharing instructions that break local laws.
• Work with partners in China who use sanctioned platforms or domestic model hubs to keep collaboration moving.
• Track community reports (forum threads and GitHub issues) to see common error messages and workarounds others report.

FAQ

Is Hugging Face banned in China?

Short answer: yes, access has been blocked for many users since mid-2023. GFWeb s record lists the first block on May 7, 2023, and Hugging Face acknowledged accessibility issues publicly on Oct 20, 2023 (GFWeb/Rest of World).

When exactly was it blocked?

GFWeb detected the block on May 7, 2023. Public user reports and later news coverage fill out the timeline (Semafor).

Can I use a VPN to access Hugging Face in China?

Many users tried VPNs with mixed results. Note: using VPNs may violate local rules and can be unreliable. Public threads report some nodes failing while others sometimes worked; there s no guaranteed solution and legal risks may apply (forum).

What are alternatives?

Options include hosting models privately, using domestic model hubs or cloud providers, and publishing compatible artifacts on local developer platforms. Hugging Face also hosts many Chinese models and commentary about China s AI expansion on its blog here.

Final thought

The block is more than a single outage. It reflects new rules on generative AI, content controls, and a policy drive to boost domestic tech. For anyone working with open models, the event is a reminder to plan for access risks and to build collaboration paths that work across policy boundaries.