Emergency numbers and hospitals in China: who to call

China has no single 911. The numbers are 120 for an ambulance, 110 for police, 119 for fire, 122 for traffic accidents and 12395 for maritime rescue. They work from any handset, including one with no SIM and no subscription, but dispatchers speak Mandarin.

What to do in the first five minutes

1. Dial 120 for anything medical: chest pain, heavy bleeding, a fall, suspected stroke, difficulty breathing.
2. Give the address before the symptoms — city, district, street, building number, nearest landmark — then your callback number.
3. If your Chinese is not up to it, hand the phone to hotel front-desk staff or a passer-by. English support on 120 exists in major cities but is not guaranteed.
4. Expect the ambulance to be billed. Beijing United Family Hospital advises carrying about 500 yuan in cash, because crews usually collect the fee when you arrive at the hospital.
5. You can name a hospital, but the crew takes you to the nearest emergency-capable one when time matters.

Beijing is the one city with a second number. Since 1 January 2022, 120 has been its sole pre-hospital emergency line; 999 now handles non-emergency transport such as discharges and inter-provincial transfers.

Public emergency room or international department?

Every hospital emergency department is open 24 hours and treats patients of any nationality. The international department is a separate, quieter service with English-speaking staff. Do not assume the second covers the first.

Numbers worth saving

• Peking Union Medical College Hospital, International Medical Services, 1 Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng, Beijing — 24-hour emergency hotline (+8610) 69155288; appointments on (+8610) 69156699, press 2 for English. Staff speak English, Japanese, French, Korean, Russian and German.
• Beijing United Family Hospital, 2 Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang — 24-hour English emergency line (86 10) 5927 7120; general service line 4008-919191.
• Huashan Hospital International Medical Center, Shanghai — emergency room on the ground floor of Building 1, 493 Huashan Road, open 24 hours; outpatient clinic at 12 Wulumuqi Middle Road. Phone 021-6248 3986 or 021-5288 9998.

Paying, and what insurance does

Foreign patients are billed at the same published rates as Chinese residents. International departments take Visa and Mastercard, and Huashan settles directly with more than 30 insurers.

Before you fly, confirm your policy has a 24-hour assistance line and, if you want direct billing, a partner hospital along your route. A policy that only reimburses afterwards still leaves you settling the bill in cash at 2am.

You can compare all the main travel insurance options in one place before you book.

12308 is not your number

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hotline 12308 provides consular protection for Chinese citizens abroad. As a foreign visitor you call your own embassy or consulate instead — save that number offline, not in a browser tab.

Last checked: 2026-10-02