The most random crap here is blocked and I stopped trying to figure out why long ago.  I just opened this with my VPN and opened up no problem (of course with a map of LA where my current server is based).
I will say that google maps may not be blocked here, but it is slowed down to a snails pace and often will take hours to load, so it may as well be blocked.
Why?  I think China has a big time grudge with anything Google and will do it's best to make using anything Google related as miserable an experience as possible here....just my thoughts.

Yes, it may have to do with the bad blood between Google and China, that is for sure.  Wikimapia may be up today (I was able to access through a local proxy) but all the other wikis are down this Wednesday to protest something the United States Congress is up to.

When I did finally open wikimapia and referred it to the city where I live, I absolutely 100% understood why IMHO it is not accessible here and this touches upon issues that cannot be prudently discussed on this Board without causing trouble to the Board.  It just throws up and lists too many things that should not be thrown up and listed in some people's opinion.