Electrical Power Use in China

Note: The following document has been taken from an online source, with permission. Please be sure to verify your own appliance wattage requirements BEFORE you leave. Journeys to China accepts NO responsibility for electrical appliances or items that are damaged due to improper application of power by users. If you aren't sure, ask a qualified electrician or electrical engineer!

Plug Types

The plugs in use in China are of FOUR different types. In mainland China, two types of plugs are generally found, while in Hong Kong, two other types are found. Hong Kong, being formerly British, relies most heavily on UK styled plugs.

However, what we found is that in Hong Kong, one type of plug was used predominantly and on the Mainland, a different type of plug was commonly found.

The plug used most often on the Mainland is an Australian style plug that looks quite a bit like a standard US plug, however, the plug "blades", rather than being vertical, are angled, as shown on the right.

In Hong Kong, the outlets were completely different from Mainland China and the style we found in use was the smaller voltage outlet style that you will find in use in the United Kingdom. An adapter that fits it is shown on the left.

All of China is on 220v but many hotels have bathrooms outlets featuring 110v for shavers.

Here is a site that might be able to help you:

Stay Online - China

Stay Online - Hong Kong

Transformers and Converters

For those items that are 120v only (in other words, they are rated for use ONLY in 120v/60hz countries like the USA and are not variable voltage), you need to buy a converter that does the job.

The trick in calculating what you need to buy is to take the biggest item in terms of its VA requirements and buy the transformer with the next size up rated wattage, assuming you will only use ONE item at at time, otherwise you need to add the items together or buy two (or more) different converters).

To compute a load’s VA requirements, multiply its rated voltage (Volts) by its rated current (Amps)

So, assuming ALL of your items operate at 120v (which is the standard voltage in the USA), you multiply the amp draw on the item by 120v.

So, a 1 amp draw uses 120VA....

A 2 amp draw uses 240VA....

A 1.5 amp draw uses 180VA....

Keep in mind that Watts is the same as VA....

So, a normal computer generally draws between 1 and 2 amps when in use.

That means your regular computer, if not dual voltage, would require a converter/transformer that is rated for between 120 and 240VA (Watts).

A laptop would require probably a bit more than this for the screen, maybe 200-300VA.

So... IF your laptop is NOT dual voltage (check to see if it is auto sensing dual voltage, but most are), then you would require a converter rated for 300VA.

They sell low wattage ones here:

Light Duty Converters

The biggest problem people run into is when they have a high wattage appliance that will not run with the light duty converter that they brought with them.

This happens most often with hair dryers, which can be rated upwards of 1500 watts. This is why most hotels around the world have hair dryers in the room for your use.

Here is where you can find more information on selecting the proper transformer for the job.

Stay Online - How to Choose

Variable Voltage Items

Before you go out and purchase an expensive converter/transformer, you should check to see if any of the items you are bringing along with you are variable voltage items. Variable voltage items are items, generally electronic, which are capable of being used with voltage ranges from 110v AC to 240v AC.

If you check the power adapter for your digital camera, battery charger, laptop charger, etc. they will generally list the voltages that are acceptable. If the power adapter does not list them, check your user manual. As long as the item you are using is rated for 240v AC, you can just change the plug adapter to fit the wall outlet and plug directly in. Be sure to DOUBLE CHECK your voltages, as plugging in an item that is not capable of handling 240v AC will more than likely destroy your item.

Three Prong Grounded Plugs

Keep in mind that most laptops rely on GROUNDED plug outlets when plugging them in (e.g. two A/C flat blade prongs for power and a round prong for ground) . In China, you may not have the luxury of a grounded three prong outlet. Additionally, most electrical adapter plugs for international travel are two prong only, not three prong with a ground. Consequently, you may need to either purchase a special three prong adapter, shown at left (Mainland China version) or you need to convert your three prong plug using a North American style three prong to two prong adapter.

You can find these adapters at most any hardware store or department store such as Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. The adapter that you may wish to purchase is shown on the right. If you decide to purchase the two prong US plug adatper, you will also need to provide some way to ground the tab in order to be completely safe. While you can run your laptop without grounding the tab, it is not recommended and could pose an electrical hazard if the outlet is not wired properly. If you decide to forgo grounding your adapter ground tab, you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK!