Internet Access in Yancheng, Jiangsu

I am a student of an online university that is based in the U.S. I will be in Yancheng for 10 months and perhaps as long as 3 years. Is there any way to get legal permission to access web sites such as google so that I can continue to do the research that I need to do as part of my school work?

I know that the government has the firewall and blocks certain web sites. I have also been told that there is software that can get through the firewall, but I would much rather not risk violating the law. If underground applications can be shared to penetrate the wall, there must be a legal application that can be obtained. Certainly researchers, physicians and government agencies need to have access to, and share,information.

Thank you for any advice.