1. Emergency numbers (save these)
| Number | For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 110 | Police | Security, disputes, theft |
| 120 | Ambulance | Medical dispatch |
| 119 | Fire / rescue | Fires, entrapment |
| 12110 | SMS police | When you can't call |
| 122 | Traffic accidents | Road incidents |
| 12345 | Civic hotline | Complaints & help (English on request) |
Foreign nationals can also call their embassy/consulate in an emergency — save your consulate's details before departure.
2. Getting sick
- Minor: pharmacy (everywhere) + translator to describe symptoms;
- Clinics: top (3A) hospitals run international/VIP clinics (Peking Union, Huashan…) — English-friendly, pricier; standard clinics are cheap but queue-heavy and Chinese-only;
- ER: 3A hospitals run 24 h — walk in and register;
- Paying: register first (¥10–100), pay as you go, keep every receipt for insurance;
- Telehealth: Ping An Good Doctor / JD Health apps (Chinese).
✓ ImportantBring your passport to all visits (real-name registration). For serious illness, choose 3A hospitals in prefecture-level cities or bigger; on the plateau, treat severe headache/vomiting as an altitude emergency — get care or descend.
3. Travel insurance
Strongly advised: a policy with direct medical billing and medical evacuation/repatriation (World Nomads, Allianz, AXA, etc.). Check:
- Covers your planned activities (trekking, skiing, diving, riding)
- Cashless network cities (tier-1 well covered)
- High-altitude exclusions (some policies exclude 3,000 m+)
- Dental & pre-existing conditions
- 24 h international rescue hotline (in your phone)
4. Lost documents & valuables
- Passport: police report → photos → your consulate reissues (takes days — build slack);
- Phone: freeze payment accounts from another device (Alipay 95188, WeChat 95017);
- Bank cards: call your issuer;
- Prevention: paper + cloud copies of the passport, stored apart from the original.
5. Scams & traps
- Tea-house / bar "friendship": warm strangers lead you to a padded bill — politely decline their venue choice;
- Budget day tours: rock-bottom prices are shopping commissions — choose "no-shopping" tours or DIY;
- "It's closed today": drivers declaring sights shut to redirect you — verify on your own map;
- Counterfeits: practically extinct in the mobile-payment era; count big cash at the counter;
- Scan-for-gifts: street QR gifts harvest data — decline politely.
ℹ The realistic pictureSolo night walking in Chinese cities is broadly safe; metro security is universal. The scam surface is the overlap of "tourist zone + friendly stranger + money".
6. Natural hazards
- Typhoons (Jul–Sep, south-east coast): four-level warnings (blue→red); red = flights/ferries stop; stay in;
- Rain/floods: keep off riverbanks and underpasses; expect rockfall after mountain rain;
- Earthquakes (west): drop, cover, hold; follow local direction; keep clear of damaged structures after aftershocks;
- Extreme cold (north-east winters): layered kit, covered skin, heat packs taped to your phone.