Currency

The Chinese currency is Renminbi, issued by the state bank, the People's Bank of China. The standard unit of the Renminbi is Yuan, with jiao and fen as subsidiary units. One yuan equals 10 jiao, and 1 jiao equals 10 fen. Yuan, jiao and fen are issued both in bills and coins. The Renminbi features the following denominations: 1,2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 yuan; 1, 2 and 5 jiao; and 1,2 and 5 fen.

Foreign currency and travelers' checks can be changed at the main branches of the Bank of China, the tourist hotels, Friendship Stores and some department stores. Hotels usually charge the official rate. You will need your passport to change money and/or use travelers checks. You also might want to keep your money exchange receipts if you plan on changing any of your remaining RMB back to U.S. dollars at the end of your trip. Or you can spend it on souvenirs and other gifts to bring home. You may even want to hold onto some new, crisp Chinese bills to take home and keep with your pictures.

Important note: Write down your traveler's check numbers on a piece of paper and keep this paper inside your luggage or back at home, separate from your traveler''s checks. If you lose your traveler''s checks, you can easily replace them using the numbers! There is an American Express office in Guangzhou, and they are very efficient.
 
Electricity

Keep in mind that no matter what type of plug an outlet might accept, voltage in China is 220v, 50 hz and not acceptable for your U.S. purchased appliances. You will need a converter for this.

The electrical current in China is 220 volts, 50 cycles (AC). Wall outlets take American-style plugs, with two flat parallel prongs; however, the outlets may not take the third, oversized prong used for grounding now in general use in the U.S. 

To use your U.S. purchased electric-powered appliances, you will need a converter (see below), unless they are dual voltage, in which case you will need only the adapter for the plug. Most laptops operate equally well on 220 or 110 volts and only require an adapter. Make sure you use a power surge protector. 

Do not use the 110 volt outlets in the hotels marked "for shavers only" with high-wattage appliances, such as blow dryers.

You may want to forget your electric shaver and bring along disposable razors, such as the Gillette/Schick custom disposable razors to save space in your suitcase. If you forget razors, you can always get them while in Guangzhou at Watsons or Friendship Stores.

Important note: Adapter plugs do not convert electricity. The picture below illustrates the male end of the adapter that will plug into the wall socket. The male prongs of the converter will plug into the adapter and the male prongs of the hair dryer will plug into the converter. Keep in mind that no matter what type of plug an outlet might accept, voltage in China is 220v (50 Hz) and is not acceptable for your U.S. purchased appliances.