Emergency Numbers Every Foreigner Should Know

Katie Coy, Managing Editor | Jun 28, 2022 12:35 pm | Add a comment | 1441 reads

Chances are that one of the first numbers you ever learned as a child was the number to call in an emergency. I can’t even remember a time when I didn’t know that if I was ever in an emergency I’d have to call 999. However, China actually has four official emergency numbers and I don’t know about you, but I’m always getting them muddled up in my head.

So firstly here are the different emergency numbers:

Police: 110
Fire: 119
Ambulance: 120 or 999 (exclusive to Beijing)

Now, it was announced back in 2018 that these services would become fully English compliant, but as can sometimes be the case in China, the reality may be a little different to what has been promised. And although I do speak Chinese, in a highly stressful situation I’d much rather talk to someone who understands English. Well a number that you should definitely learn is the official Foreign Emergency Services number which is 6525 5486.

But if you’re specifically looking for emergency medical help then it would also be a good idea to learn, or at least save, some of the 24 hour hotline numbers for the international hospitals here in Beijing, after all it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Beijing United Family Hospital 24-hour emergency hotline: +86 (010) 5927 7120
Raffles Hospital Beijing 24-hour hotline: +86 10 6462 9112
Raffles Hospital Beijing emergency hotline: +86 10 8793 7999
OASIS International Hospital 24-hour service hotline: +86 10 5985 0333
New Century International Children's Hospital emergency room: +86 10 8804 6100
Vista Medical Center hotline: +86（010）8529 6618
Beijing International (SOS): +86 10-6462 9112 (only open from 8am – 8pm)

Along with these, here are some other numbers that may be useful:

Traffic accidents: 122
Police text message: 12110
Beijing health hotline: 12320
Chaoyang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention: 6777 3512
Tourist hotline: 6513 0828
Consulting hotline: 12301

As a foreigner living in China it can also be useful to know the emergency number for your embassy or consulate, so it could be a good idea to save the number for your home country's embassy in Beijing from this list: