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The electricity supply in Beijing is 240V / 60 Hz. Which means its pretty much the same as England, Australia and a few other countries but most definitely not the same as the USA and a few other places which operate a 120V / 60 Hz supply.

There are two things to consider when bringing your household appliances and gadgets to Beijing. 1. What voltage can they accept. 2. What kind of plug do they have.

From a voltage point of view you should look carefully at the labels on your equipment. There are three different kinds of equipment on the market.

1. Something only designed for a 120V power supply

2. Something only designed for a 240V power supply

3. One which you can switch between 120V and 240V using a switch

4. One which automatically detects which voltage its receiving and adjusts itself automatically.

Once you've discovered what kind of power your equipment accepts, the next thing to consider is the plug. In Beijing, this is not much of a problem because there is no country-wide standard as yet. Currently, you can find power sockets and plugs from all over the world in common use. Because of this, the Chinese have come up with a rather ingeniously designed socket which accepts many country's plugs.

Of course, not all houses/hotels are equipped with these multi-sockets as standard but practically all power strips have this design. Often in houses you will find double sockets with one Australian type and one American type on the same base plate.

All in all, if you can't find the socket for your device, just pop down to the local convenience store and purchase a multi-adaptor or borrow one from the hotel or home where you're staying.

If you are a mad Englishman, come in July, August when you can get baked to a lobster shade of purple by the harsh summer sun. However, you can choose to spend your time relaxing under the beer garden umbrellas of Wangfujing and Sanlitun. You can enjoy outdoor eating till the late evening and can also see all the Chinese ladies walking around protecting their delicate pale faces with umbrellas. The temperature in summer usually ranges from 28 - 39 degrees centigrade. Highest temperature ever recorded was 42 degrees centigrade.

If you like rain and uncertainty, come in June, July where you can guarantee a few thunderous downpours. If you like ominous, yellow, dust-laden skies and wind to blow you off your feet come in March to June. Ok .. during this period, there is not a dust storm every day, but you can guarantee one or two at the very least. During this period sand is picked up from the Gobi desert and dumped onto the cars, people and buildings of Beijing.

A power supply unit for a modern laptop(left). Blow up of the top right hand corner of the label (right). As you can see the Input listed says 100-240V 50-60Hz. This means you can plug it into to pretty much any socket in the world and have no problem, it will automatically detect and switch without causing damage to your equipment.

If you like ice skating, on ordinary streets and lakes, then by all means come between November and February when the temperature rarely gets above freezing. It also snows about twice a year in Beijing, usually somewhere in December or January and no more than 5 inches for sure. The temperature in winter usually ranges from -18 to 5 degrees centigrade, so be sure to pack your ski jacket or you'll have to resort to picking up a fake North Face jacket at the Xiu Shui market. Lowest temperature ever recorded was -27 degrees centigrade.

A cell phone power supply unit from the USA (left). Blow up of the power supply details (right). As you can see the Input specified clearly states 120V 60 Hz. There is no mention of a 240V supply anywhere to be seen. This means that if you plug it in in Beijing there will be a small popping sound and a smoky smell and that will be the end of your phone recharger.