China Voltage, Sockets and Plugs

When packing for your China trip, you shall consider to have at least one power converter/adapter. China has electricity voltage and sockets as well as plugs that might be different from those in your country. To ensure all your electric devices are in regular use, you shall have some basic knowledge of the electricity in China.

Technically, there are two major electricity standards for the standards for voltage and frequency in the world. One is 110-120 volts at a frequency of 60 Hz applied in countries like USA, and the other standard is 220–240 volts at 50 Hz applied mostly in European countries. In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the standard voltage of the electricity is 220 V, and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Here below lists different electricity voltages and frequencies varied in countries:

So far, there is no global standard plug and socket. The socket and plug systems are varied in different countries and regions.

Mainland China
China get a socket system differing from the one in most western countries. There are two main sockets proverbially used in China, namely type A and type I, which can also accept plugs of type C or F that are widely used in most European countries. A standard socket on a wall in China has two flat pins on the upper part and earthed three flat pins on the lower part.

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan
In Hong Kong, British standard outlets, also known as type G, are commonly applied in daily use. Travelers from countries like UK, Ireland, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Maldives, Nigeria, and Uganda can charge most of their electronic devices without an adaptor in Hong Kong. Macau uses Type C and F mostly, while the plug type B can work fine with the outlets in Taiwan.

Power Converter:
If the standard voltage in your country is between 100 V and 127 V (as is in the US, Canada and most South American countries), you need to prepare a voltage converter in China, which would help to covert the input from 220V to 110V for your device.

However, if you are from European countries using electricity voltage of 220V-230V, you electronic devices will work well with Chinese power voltage, and no converter is needed. Usually, some appliances are designed to fit different voltages, for example, most laptops have built-in international converters, and you can check that on the back of the devices.

Plug Adapter:
Since the socket system differs between countries, a portable plug adaptor is usually a must-have to charge your electronic devices like cell phones, tablets, and cameras. Most 4-star and 5-star hotels in China offer free use of plug adapters, but they are not offered on high-speed trains. In case, you can purchase them in your country beforehand, or buy it in China after arrival. Do consider a combined power plug adapter/voltage converter to save the real estate of your baggage.

Read more on China Travel Packing List.