Other than rooting the phone or leaving China is there any other way around this?
The simplest way is to use a phone with a VPN and a mobile data connection. Set the phone up as a mobile hotspot then dial the VPN. Connect your new Galaxy s7 Edge to the hotspot then follow the normal setup procedure.
You can do the same thing with a computer and a VPN. You just need to share it’s internet connection by configuring it as a gateway or proxy. You should be able to find some guides on how to achieve this. It isn’t difficult.
If you have no luck with the above 2 methods then let me know.
What colour did you end up with?