Medical Emergencies in China: 120 Ambulance & What to Do (Foreigner's Guide)

If you’re reading this during an actual emergency, here is the short version: call 120 for an ambulance, say your location first and clearly, and if the situation is life-threatening, go to the nearest large public hospital’s emergency department (急诊, jí zhěn). You will be treated. Hospitals in Chinese cities are well-equipped, ERs are open 24/7, and serious cases are stabilized before anyone asks about payment. Take a breath. You can handle this, and this guide walks you through exactly how.

The rest of this article is for both the emergency itself and for reading ahead of time so you’re prepared. We’ve sat in plenty of Chinese ERs alongside clients, and the goal here is to give you the calm, practical version of what actually happens.

The emergency numbers to save right now

Save these in your phone before you ever need them. The most important one is 120 for any medical emergency. These numbers work nationwide and are free to call, including from a locked phone with no SIM in some cases.

Number	What it’s for	Notes
120	Ambulance / medical emergency	National. This is the one that matters most.
110	Police	Crime, personal safety, lost/stolen items
119	Fire	Also general rescue (trapped, gas leaks)
122	Traffic accidents	Use for road collisions with injuries
12395	Maritime / water rescue	Coastal and waterway emergencies

A few important notes:

• 120 is the national medical number. In Beijing you may also see 999, the Red Cross ambulance service, but 120 works everywhere in the country and is the safe default.
• Operators in major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen) often have some English capability, but do not count on it. Lead with your location and keep your sentences short.
• If you cannot speak Chinese and have no one to translate, see the phrase script below, or open a translation app and have it ready before you dial.

How to call 120 with a language barrier

The dispatcher’s first priority is your location, then the nature of the emergency, then a callback number. Work in that order.

1. Dial 120. Stay on the line. Don’t hang up to “find someone who speaks Chinese.”
2. Give your location first. Read out the address in Chinese if you can, or describe a landmark: “near the south gate of [mall name],” a metro station, a hotel. Drop a pin in a maps app and read the address aloud.
3. State the problem in one sentence. “Someone is unconscious.” “Chest pain.” “Bad bleeding.” Keep it simple.
4. Give your phone number so the ambulance crew can call you back as they approach.
5. Send someone to wait at the building entrance or street to flag the ambulance down. Chinese addresses can be hard to find inside large compounds.

If you genuinely can’t communicate, type your situation into a translation app (DeepL, Google Translate, or Baidu Translate) and play the audio into the phone, or show it to anyone nearby. A passerby or hotel front-desk staffer can often relay for you in seconds.

For a deeper walkthrough of how Chinese hospitals are structured and how to register, see our guide on how to see a doctor in China.

A ready-to-show Chinese phrase script

Screenshot this section or save it offline. You can show the characters to staff or read the pinyin aloud. (Tone marks are included to help, but don’t worry about perfect pronunciation in an emergency.)

Calling 120 / asking for an ambulance:

• 我需要救护车。 — Wǒ xūyào jiùhùchē. — “I need an ambulance.”
• 这里有人晕倒了。 — Zhèlǐ yǒu rén yūndǎo le. — “Someone here has collapsed.”
• 我的位置是… — Wǒ de wèizhì shì… — “My location is…” (then read/show the address)
• 请说慢一点。 — Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. — “Please speak slowly.”

At the hospital / telling staff key info:

• 这是紧急情况。 — Zhè shì jǐnjí qíngkuàng. — “This is an emergency.”
• 急诊在哪里? — Jízhěn zài nǎlǐ? — “Where is the emergency department?”
• 我对…过敏。 — Wǒ duì… guòmǐn. — “I’m allergic to…”
• 我有心脏病 / 糖尿病 / 高血压。 — Wǒ yǒu xīnzàngbìng / tángniàobìng / gāo xiěyā. — “I have heart disease / diabetes / high blood pressure.”
• 我正在服用这些药。 — Wǒ zhèngzài fúyòng zhèxiē yào. — “I’m taking these medications.” (then show the boxes or a photo)
• 我不会说中文,可以帮我找翻译吗? — Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén, kěyǐ bāng wǒ zhǎo fānyì ma? — “I don’t speak Chinese, can you help me find a translator?”

What a Chinese ER visit is actually like

Walking into a Chinese emergency department for the first time can feel chaotic, but there is a clear logic to it. Here’s the flow:

Registration (挂号, guàhào) and triage. At most hospitals you register for the emergency department either at a counter or a self-service kiosk, often paying a small registration fee first. A triage nurse (分诊) decides how urgent your case is. If you’re genuinely critical, this step is skipped, see the Green Channel below.

Pay-as-you-go treatment. This is the biggest cultural difference for most foreigners. Chinese hospitals generally operate on a deposit-and-pay-as-you-go model. You typically pay (or top up a deposit) before each step, the doctor orders a test, you pay for it, you get the test, you bring results back. It feels transactional, but it’s normal and it’s fast.

Tests and results. Blood work, X-rays, and CT scans are usually done on-site and turned around quickly, often within an hour or two. Results frequently come back to your phone or a printout you carry between departments yourself.

The Green Channel (绿色通道). For life-threatening emergencies, heart attack, stroke, major trauma, severe bleeding, hospitals open a “Green Channel” (lǜsè tōngdào): they treat and stabilize you first and sort out registration and payment afterward. Do not let worry about payment stop you from seeking care in a true emergency. The system is built to save you first.

What it costs (and how to pay)

Costs vary significantly by city, hospital tier, and what treatment you need, so treat anything here as a rough range, not a quote.

Ambulances are not free. In China, calling 120 results in a bill, typically a few hundred RMB up to around 1,500 RMB depending on distance and city. This is usually paid at the time via Alipay or WeChat Pay, or cash. Foreign-issued credit cards frequently fail at hospitals and with ambulance crews, so make sure you have Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a working payment method, or carry some cash, before you need it.

ER and treatment costs range widely. A straightforward ER visit at a public hospital is often surprisingly affordable by Western standards; an admission, surgery, or ICU stay can run into the tens of thousands of RMB. International/VIP departments and private hospitals cost considerably more but offer more English support.

Keep everything for insurance. Whatever you pay, get an official fapiao (发票) invoice plus your itemized bills, prescriptions, and medical records, in many cases your travel or expat insurance can reimburse it. We cover exactly which documents to collect and how reimbursement works in our fapiao and insurance reimbursement guide.

Your emergency checklist

Run through this in the moment, or prep the relevant parts in advance.

In the emergency itself:

• Call 120 and give your location first, then the problem
• Send someone to flag the ambulance at the street or gate
• Bring ID/passport, your phone, and any current medications
• Have Alipay or WeChat Pay ready (and some cash as backup)
• Note any allergies and existing conditions to tell staff (use the phrase script)
• Ask for a translator or call someone who can interpret

To prepare in advance (do this today):

• Save 120, 110, 119 in your phone with clear labels
• Screenshot your home address in Chinese characters
• Link a working payment method to Alipay or WeChat Pay
• Write down your blood type, allergies, conditions, and meds
• Know the name of the nearest large public hospital with a 24/7 急诊
• Save the contact for your insurer’s emergency assistance line

When to consider a concierge or assistance service

In a true life-or-death emergency, 120 and the nearest ER are always the right call, do not wait on anyone. But for the layer around the emergency, choosing the right hospital, interpreting in real time, coordinating with your insurer, navigating admission and discharge, having an English-speaking advocate makes a stressful situation far more manageable. That’s the gap a medical concierge fills. You can read more about how we help if you’d like backup before you ever need it.

FAQ

Is 120 free to call? Yes, dialing 120 is free, like other emergency numbers in China. The ambulance ride itself, however, is not free, expect a bill of a few hundred to around 1,500 RMB depending on distance and city, usually paid on the spot via Alipay, WeChat Pay, or cash.

Will the 120 operator speak English? Sometimes, especially in Beijing, Shanghai, and other large cities, but you should not rely on it. Lead with your location, keep sentences short, and have a translation app or the phrase script in this guide ready to go.

What if I can’t pay upfront in a real emergency? For life-threatening cases, hospitals use the Green Channel (绿色通道): they stabilize and treat you first and handle registration and payment afterward. Never delay seeking emergency care out of fear about money.

Should I take a taxi or wait for the ambulance? It depends. For severe trauma, suspected stroke or heart attack, or anyone unconscious or struggling to breathe, call 120, the crew can begin care en route and route you to the right hospital. For less critical but still urgent issues, a quick taxi or ride-hail to the nearest ER is sometimes faster, but never move someone you suspect has a spinal or serious head injury.

What should I bring to the ER? Your passport or ID, your phone, a charged payment method (Alipay/WeChat Pay) plus some cash, and any medications you’re currently taking, bringing the actual boxes helps staff identify them. A note listing your allergies and conditions in Chinese is invaluable.

Can I get reimbursed by my insurance afterward? Often, yes. Pay close attention to collecting your fapiao, itemized bills, prescriptions, and medical records, these are what insurers require. See our fapiao and insurance reimbursement guide for the full document checklist and process.