How Does Emergency Numbers Work in China?
Last verified: 2025-06 · Asia
1The Quick Answer
Dial 110 for police, 120 for an ambulance, and 119 for fire.
2What You Need to Know
China's emergency numbers are separate for each service: 110 for police, 120 for medical emergencies, 119 for fire, and 122 for traffic police and road accidents. Operators are unlikely to speak English, so it is advisable to have your hotel address written in Chinese characters and to ask your hotel front desk to make emergency calls on your behalf whenever possible. In major tourist cities, some police stations have English-speaking officers or tourist police units. Always carry your hotel's business card with the address in Chinese.
3Practical Tips
Practical Tips
- 1Save your hotel's Chinese-language address on your phone to read to emergency dispatchers or show to taxi drivers.
- 2Ask your hotel concierge for the direct number of the nearest international hospital or clinic — it is often faster than using 120.
- 3Tourist police offices (marked in blue) are present at major attractions like the Great Wall and Tiananmen and can assist with language help.
Important Warning
Emergency call operators typically speak Mandarin only — without Chinese language ability or a local contact who can call on your behalf, getting help quickly can be very difficult.
How does this compare?
Emergency Numbers rules in nearby and similar countries:
Police: 110. Ambulance & Fire: 119. Tourist helpline (English): 050-3816-2787.
Tourist Police: 1155 (English spoken). Ambulance: 1669. Fire: 199. Regular Police: 191.
Police: 999. Ambulance & Fire: 995. Non-emergency police: 1800-255-0000. Singapore has extremely fast emergency response.
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