In short: yes, though VPN services occasionally suffer from hindrances trying to tackle them, especially in China. A VPN works in the entire world, no matter how strong online censorship is in a determined country. China is indeed one of those countries where few things are actually legal or not blocked and monitored, which makes it one of the top countries where a VPN is an absolute necessity. Arming yourself with a VPN not only helps accessing blocked content in that territory but the process is completely safe from all snooping eyes trying to stop you, including the government and ISPs. This is why the Chinese government is continually trying to impose new measures to control those who try to use VPNs, by making them illegal or granting new powers to the almighty Great Firewall.
However, for those who actually can use a VPN in such territory, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and much more can be unblocked just by tapping on a button. All you need to do is choose a server located in a country where geo-blocks are not applied (or at least the website you want to visit is open), connect, and bam, you are anonymous. Your ISP, the local authorities or the government won’t be able to see what you are doing since your online traffic is protected with top notch encryptions and therefore you are let on the loose in the middle of the online world.