Great to hear from you @patriamreminisci. Replying and resteeming is the least I or anyone else here on the Steem blockchain can do, so my pleasure to do my small part to "get the word out."

"Also, Steemit has not been on their radar until recently, though that may change soon as I discovered I now need a VPN to access Steemit (which was not the case prior to the NPPCC conference in March), which means it has been added to the vast sea of blocked websites in China."

[emphasis added mine]

This does not surprise me in the least. While not my area of focus, I think there must be an amazing number of "expat" Chinese on the Steem blockchain. For example, I have personally "talked" with one of them - @crypto.talk, the great founder of the @partiko mobile phone app. While I don't know for certain, that app alone has presumably played a key role in the number of Chinese people who are actively engaged on the Steem blockchain.

While I don't have anything like your stresses and reasons for doing so, I have taken the preventative step of using a VPN. I use NordVPN and have found it to be quite good (here's a review ...), at least as far as I understand the technology. Out of curiosity, what to you use that is accessible to you there? (Please don't answer, if it may potentially put you at risk ...)

Gotta get back to the pressing issue I have of my own, at the moment. Getting my tax accounting done, for my decision to invest in the "cryptosphere," before the U.S. deadline ...

Thanks for your reply and hope to hear more, as your time and opportunity permit.

P.S. You may wish to come read this reply @skramatters.