TLDR; Liferay doesn’t work in China. Websites built with Liferay’s DXP load in 40+ seconds and have broken images and videos. Many Liferay sites are not even accessible in China. This article explains why Liferay has poor performance in China and then provides you with the only solution to fix your Liferay site that is fully compliant with the laws in mainland China.
In this article, we will walk you through some speed tests we conducted to determine if Liferay’s Digital Experience Platform works in China or not. Our staff conducted the tests in Shanghai (China Mainland) and Hong Kong (outside Mainland China) and we used 3rd party testing tools to ensure our tests weren’t biased.
By the end of this article, you should have a good understanding of Liferay and if it works in Mainland China or not. Also, you can contact us to get a free speed test of your Liferay site for China.
What is Liferay?
Liferay makes software that helps companies create digital experiences on the web, mobile and connected devices.
They are one of the leading Digital Experience Platform (“DXP”) by Gartner Magic Quadrant 2021.
Does Liferay Work in China?
The short answer is no.
Below is the long answer if you want to understand why:
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Most hosting providers claim to have Global coverage for your Liferay, but actually, China is not included.
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If your business doesn’t have any legal licenses for your site and content in China, it is operating illegally in China.
Luckily we have put together solutions to make your business and Liferay site works in China.
Don’t just take our word. Let’s look at some popular websites powered by Liferay and see how well they work in China
How do we check if a website works in China or not?
There are two tests we need to perform to conclude if a website works in China.
- How fast is the site in Mainland China?
- Does the website operated by the business comply with the laws in China?
The second part of the test is a must for most businesses or organizations, not optional. If you are unsure why it’s a must, read Untold facts about ICP for China, and why you should get it.
Speed Tests Results
We picked 10 websites from Liferay’s Global Enterprise Customers and considered these websites to follow Liferay’ best practices.
Then we follow the test questions mentioned earlier for each website and create a report with the following format:
1. A figure to see how fast the site performs across Mainland China.
This figure basically shows how fast the website loads across Mainland China (green = fast, red =slow)
2. A video to see the site’s performance in China visually.
We made a screen record of the website loading in Shanghai, China. This provides you with an intuitive way to see how fast the site visually loads and understand what people in China actually experience when they visit the website.
3. A yes-no check to see if the site complied with the laws in China.
If the site passes the legal check, it’s a green check. If it doesn’t pass, we will tell you why it doesn’t pass.
Now, let’s dive into the reports for each of the selected businesses using Liferay to power their sites.
Brinks, www.brinks.com
Brinks (NYSE: BCO) international provider of security services to banks, retailers, governments, mints and jewelers
From our speed test, people in China have difficulty viewing the images on the Brinks’s website. (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
Here is a more intuitive way to see it, we screen-recorded the process when a user browses Brinks’s website in Shanghai, click the video below to see it in action:
Does the Brinks’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not have an ICP license displayed at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Finding if a website has an ICP license is pretty straightforward, just scroll to the bottom of the page, if you see a number like this (see below Nike’s websites for China), then the business behind the website has an ICP for China. If not, they don’t have it. You can check if your website has it or not.
Below is an example of Nike’s website in China, and its ICP number.
Similarly, we ran the same tests for the rest of the selected Liferay user’s websites.
Bluedart, www.bluedart.com
Blue Dart Express Ltd. (NYE: BLUEDART) is South Asia’s premier express air and integrated transportation & distribution company based in India.
From our speed test, people in China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening them on Bluedart’s website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does the Bluedart’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Lorven Technologies, www.lorventech.com
Lorven Technologies, Inc. is a highly recognized provider of professional technology consultancy that serves clients worldwide.
From our speed test, people in China will have difficulty opening on Lorven Technologies’ website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does the Lorven Technologies’ websites comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the international website does not have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
MacDon, www.macdon.com
MacDon Industries Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer of specialty agricultural equipment.
From our speed test, people in China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening MacDon’s global website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does MacDon’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Qatar Stock Exchange, www.qe.com.qa
The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) is the principal stock market of Qatar. QSE is a full member of the World Federation of Exchanges and was recently upgraded by the MSCI and the S&P Dow Jones Indices.
From our speed test, people in China have difficulty viewing the images on the QSE’s website. (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does Qatar Stock Exchange’s websites comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the website does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Correos Express, www.correosexpress.com
Correos Express (previously, Chronoexpres) is the Correos Group’s subsidiary, specializing in urgent document and parcel delivery, both in Spain and abroad.
From our speed test, people in China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening them on Correos Express’s website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does the Correos Express’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Sella, www.sella.it
Sella is one of the largest Italian based banks. Founded in 1886 Sella employs over 5,000 people and manages approximately €13.968 billion.
From our speed test, people in China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening them on Sella’s website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does the Sella’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
RighTel, www.rightel.com
RighTel is the third mobile phone network operator of Iran. RighTel is the first 3G mobile operator in Iran, providing 3.75G mobile telecommunication services to individuals and businesses
From our speed test, nearly half of China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening them on RighTel’s website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does the RighTel’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Copa Airlines, www.copaair.com
Copa Airlines is the flag carrier of Panama. It is headquartered in Panama City, Panama, with its main hub at Tocumen International Airport. Copa is a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, S.A. as well as a member of Star Alliance.
From our speed test, more than half of China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening them on Copa Airlines’s website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
To see the site load in action, here is what a normal user would see in China:
Since the website cannot be reached by the user in China, we don’t provide a screen recorded video, even if we did, you will only see a blank screen like the above image.
Does the Copa Airlines’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
Royal Air Maroc, www.royalairmaroc.com
Royal Air Maroc, more commonly known as RAM, is the Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country’s largest airline. RAM is wholly owned by the Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport. It joined the Oneworld alliance in 2020.
From our speed test, people in China will have difficulty viewing the images and opening RAM’s global website (that’s what the below figure means, red means unable to display images).
Here is a more intuitive way to see it, we screen-recorded the process when a user browses RAM’s website in Shanghai, click the video below to see it in action:
Does Royal Air Maroc’s website comply with the laws in China?
No. It doesn’t pass our legal check because the business does not even have an ICP license at the footer of their website.
If you don’t know what an ICP license is, click here to learn more.
In short, if your business is going to China, make sure your website passes the two tests we mentioned above to have a fast speed of first load and good viewing and browsing quality for your users in China.
If you need help going to China, please contact us, we are happy to help.
