China electrical plugs

[RetiredFL]

We are heading to Beijing and Hong Kong pre and post cruise.

We are taking land tours in both areas for a few days.

We will be staying in 3-4 star hotel

I seem to remember reading somewhere that China does not use polarized plugs (One side of plug larger than the other) and that US style plugs don't work. It was recommended that we take a power strip and file down the larger prong.

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Also are they 220 or 110?

 

Thanks

[greatam]

We are heading to Beijing and Hong Kong pre and post cruise.

We are taking land tours in both areas for a few days.

We will be staying in 3-4 star hotel

I seem to remember reading somewhere that China does not use polarized plugs (One side of plug larger than the other) and that US style plugs don't work. It was recommended that we take a power strip and file down the larger prong.

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Also are they 220 or 110?

 

Thanks

 

Geez-don't go filing down prongs. A VERY dangerous situation. (DH is an electrical engineer-he was reading over my shoulder and made the comment "is this guy on suicide watch??"

 

Go to Radio Shack or similar and buy a universal plug set. China has various plugs, depending on how old the hotel is. If you buy the universal set (about 6 plugs in a nice little case) you will be prepared for most anyplace in the world. If you order a Mobal international phone, they send you a REALLY neat plug set for free. The $49.00 phone (which works VERY well in China) is a bargain-you get a phone that works in China, a phone that works most everyplace in the world AND a great plug set.

http://www.mobalrental.com/

 

China is 220. So you will need a step down transformer (220 to 110) EXCEPT for appliances/cameras that are dual voltage. You just don't know how many power clippers DH has blown up forgetting to connect the transformer BEFORE he plugs in the clippers. And he of all people knows better. Step down transformers also available at Radio Shack or any large electronics store.

[Philip217]

China is relatively easy. They have a minimal collection of European and Asian 220 volt sockets; large round pins, small round pins, British 3 prong pins.

 

Hong Kong is another story. They have managed to come up with every conceivable 220 volt receptacle on planet Earth; Russian, British, Australian, Eastern and Western European, and some I have never been able to identify.

Quite often you can find examples of all of these receptacles in one room. I still have several large boxes of converters I used in my apartment in Hong Kong.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about polarized or grounded plugs. The vast majority of Chinese and Hong Kong electrical systems are not polarized nor grounded.

[RetiredFL]

Relax I am not on "suicide watch" that is why I asked. It seemed a dangerous thing to do.

I have several universal plug sets so will take them and hope for the best.

Staying in "western style" hotels hopefully they will have one of the right receptacles or the front desk can help.

We need to charge camera batteries and palm pilots so 220 is fine.

[larion]

What I needed was a European cell phone I could use during my trips abroad.

And after doing some research I decide to stay with http://callineurope.com/; the rates they offer look more competitive compared to few sources I verified. And I won't have to pay any monthly fees and will be able to reroute my US number.