Purpose and boundary
This guide covers non-clinical preparation for an emergency or disruption while travelling in China: how to store information, identify the right public service, and maintain a fallback. It is not medical advice, triage, diagnosis, or a substitute for local responders.
If someone has urgent symptoms, serious injury, immediate danger, fire, or another life-threatening situation, call the relevant local emergency service now. ChinaCareAccess cannot dispatch an ambulance, guarantee a response time, or replace the authority responsible for the incident.
Prepare an offline emergency card
Before travel, make a one-page card with your current location in Chinese and English, accommodation address, a reachable phone number, passport location, language needs, an emergency contact, and the name of any authorised representative. Keep a printed copy and an offline phone copy; do not place unnecessary sensitive history on the card.
Add the numbers 120 for medical emergencies, 119 for fire and rescue, and 110 for police in mainland China. The Shanghai government’s emergency guidance recommends giving a precise location and a concise description; practise reading the address aloud or show the card to the operator or a nearby person.
Call the right public service
For urgent medical symptoms or injury, call 120 immediately; for fire or rescue, call 119; for police assistance or immediate personal danger, call 110. These numbers are public emergency channels, not a promise that an English-speaking operator or a particular hospital will be available in every location.
State the exact address or landmark first, describe what is happening in plain terms, give a callback number, and follow the operator’s questions. Do not delay a call while waiting for ChinaCareAccess, a hotel, an insurer, or a travel companion to decide what to do.
Continuity during disruption
Keep a small, current folder with travel documents, booking confirmations, insurance instructions, payment methods, and the latest written logistical information. Store originals separately from copies, protect the phone with a passcode, and share documents only with the responsible service or a person you have authorised.
Plan for a lost phone, closed road, cancelled train, power outage, or changed accommodation: identify a staffed public place, a second communication route, and a way to display your location. Recheck local transport, weather, and venue notices through official channels because conditions can change quickly.
After the immediate danger
Once responders have taken over and the immediate danger has passed, record the time, service called, reference number if provided, and next administrative step. Ask the responsible authority or provider for written instructions; do not treat a coordinator message as an official incident record.
If a disruption affects lodging or transport, contact the relevant hotel, carrier, insurer, or consular service through its official channel and keep receipts. ChinaCareAccess may help organise a follow-up question, but it cannot promise reimbursement, priority, transfer, or a particular outcome.
ChinaCareAccess handoff
For a non-urgent planning question, ask ChinaCareAccess to review whether your emergency card, language note, and contingency checklist identify the right responsible channels. Share only the minimum city, dates, and logistical question; never wait for this review when urgent symptoms or danger are present.
After the event, send a concise administrative summary only if it is safe and necessary, then verify any next step with the official authority or provider. Keep this guide as preparation, not a bypass: local emergency services remain the first route for urgent symptoms and immediate danger.
