The useful thing to know is that Chinese wall sockets are usually combination sockets: a single fitting with slots for both flat two-pin and angled three-pin plugs. That covers a lot of the world's devices without an adapter at all.
By where you are from#
| From | Adapter needed? |
|---|---|
| United States, Canada, Japan | No — flat two-pin fits directly. Check voltage (see below) |
| Australia, New Zealand | No — the angled pins are the same type I standard |
| Continental Europe | Usually not — round two-pin type C generally fits the combination sockets |
| United Kingdom, Ireland | Yes — the three rectangular pins do not fit anything |
| Anywhere else | Bring a universal adapter |
Voltage matters more than the plug#
China is 220 V. So is Europe, Australia and most of Asia. The United States, Canada and Japan run on 100–120 V.
Almost every modern laptop charger, phone charger, camera charger and electric shaver is dual-voltage and handles both — look for "100–240V" printed in small type on the brick. Those are fine anywhere.
What is not fine: single-voltage 110 V appliances with heating elements or motors. Hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons and some electric toothbrush bases from North America will burn out on Chinese current, and a plug adapter does nothing to prevent that. You need a voltage converter, or more sensibly, leave them at home — every hotel provides a hair dryer.
What hotels provide#
Mid-range and above: hair dryer, kettle, and usually at least one USB socket built into the bedside or desk. Budget chains often have USB too. You will rarely need as many adapters as you packed.
Buy one there if you forget#
An adapter costs ¥10–30 in any convenience store, supermarket or electronics shop, and airports sell them in arrivals. This is not a problem worth stressing about before departure.
The one electronics rule that does bite#
Power banks. They are fine in hand luggage and banned from checked baggage, as everywhere — but since 2025 Chinese airlines require power banks carried on domestic flights to show a valid CCC certification mark, and foreign-bought units frequently lack it. Uncertified ones are confiscated at security.
The full pre-departure list, including what genuinely cannot be bought locally, is in our China packing list.