Medical emergencies and severe allergic reactions in China: who to call, where to go

For a medical emergency in mainland China, call 120. If you carry your own prescribed adrenaline (epinephrine) injector, follow your clinician’s existing emergency plan and the device instructions; see our food allergy guide. This guide supplies contact and access information only.

Calling 120: give the detailed address, the patient’s condition and key symptoms or injuries, and your contact information, as Shanghai government guidance explains. The emergency number here is 120, rather than the UK number on the NHS page.

120 language support: Shanghai’s August 2026 official guide describes connection to a third-party interpreter, with possible delays; Beijing’s 2022 official statement documents free English interpretation around the clock and seven other languages eight hours daily; Guangzhou’s 2024 official reply documents English call handlers and three-way interpretation. Shanghai and Guangzhou do not state coverage hours, and Beijing does not state the other languages’ exact time windows; official evidence of 120 language support in Chengdu, Xi’an, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Nanjing, or a nationwide guarantee, was not found—this does not establish that support is unavailable.

Hospitals and international services by city: emergency departments, international clinics and appointment lines have different hours. An international service does not establish English coverage on every emergency shift; campus and clinic addresses are not automatically dedicated emergency entrances.

Shanghai: Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University (public), International Medical Center, has 24-hour emergency care at the main campus, 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, and English daytime services on weekdays 08:00–17:00, with international contacts 021-6248-3986 / 021-5288-9998 (Building 1, floor 8 is the daytime service address; switchboard 021-52889999). Shanghai United Family Hospital, Changning (private), 699 Pingtang Road, has a 24-hour emergency hotline (021) 2216 3999, English services and outpatient hours 08:00–20:00; its emergency department article says foreign patients need a passport for registration, with current registration channels to confirm.

Beijing: Peking Union Medical College Hospital (public), Dongdan International Medical Services at 1 Shuaifuyuan, has 24/7 emergency care on the second floor, south side of the internal medicine building near the south gate, emergency enquiries 010-69155288, foreign patient appointments 010-69156699-2 (weekday appointment line 08:00–17:00), and passport registration through its English IMS app interface. Beijing United Family Hospital (private), main campus at 2 Jiangtai Road, has a multilingual team and a 24-hour emergency hotline (010) 5927 7120.

Chengdu: West China Hospital, Sichuan University (public), main campus at 37 Guoxue Lane, has 24-hour emergency care and foreign-language reception at its Special Medical Center Monday–Friday 08:00–12:00 / 12:30–16:30; hospital telephone directory 028-85422114 is not an emergency-specific line, and this address is not the Wenjiang campus. The emergency department currently does not provide obstetrics/gynaecology or paediatric internal medicine services; its July 2025 guide says two old emergency enquiry numbers were discontinued.

Xi’an: The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University (public) documents 24-hour emergency care, a main-campus address of 277 Yanta West Road, and emergency resuscitation room 029-85323120; its international/special clinic moved in 2025 to floor 6, Health Medicine Department, South Campus, 88 Zhuque Street, while consultation 029-85324767 and appointments 029-85324766 on the older clinic page need current confirmation. Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital (privately operated), 16 South Tuanjie Road, serves international visitors and has 24-hour emergency care, emergency 029-88330120 as printed in its 2019 guide, and international appointments 029-88330088.

Guangzhou: Guangzhou United Family Hospital (private), 31 Pazhou Avenue, Haizhu District, explicitly serves expatriates and has 24-hour emergency care, emergency hotline (020) 3610 2333.

Chongqing: The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (public) offers English help for nonurgent care on 18623389261, one of the 15 public hospitals’ 24-hour Chinese/English consultation lines published by the Health Commission in 2024; its international clinic is at Jinshan Campus, 50 Jinyu Avenue (2025 hospital notice: outpatient floor 4), and emergencies still go to 120. Raffles Hospital Chongqing (private), 2 Huashan Middle Road, Yubei District, has 24-hour emergency care and international patient services, with 24-hour hotline +86 23 8600 6999 (not labeled an emergency-specific line here); its anaesthesiology page documents English/Mandarin staff, without establishing English on every emergency shift.

Shenzhen: The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (public), International Medical Center, is at 1 Haiyuan 1st Road; a 2022 official notice describes 24-hour IMC emergency service at the basement emergency window of the outpatient/medical technology building, with the current entrance to confirm before travel. IMC appointments 0755-86913388 operate Monday–Friday 08:00–17:30 and weekends 08:00–12:30 / 14:00–17:30, excluding public holidays (appointment hours, not clinic hours); general enquiries 0755-86913333, and 2020 passport registration instructions require current-channel confirmation.

Nanjing: Taikang Xianlin Drum Tower Hospital (non-public; official category 社会办 in the Health Commission’s May 2026 list), 188 Lingshan North Road, has 24-hour emergency care and an International Medical Department documenting patients from over 60 countries and language support. International service hotline 025-83169988 operates 24 hours but is not an emergency-specific line; the international department’s Phase II address is not identified as the emergency entrance, and general service/complaints is 40001-95522.

Fees and insurance: Shanghai United Family’s own FAQ says some services may cost more than local hospitals; no comparable official statements for the other private hospitals were found, so this guide makes no price ranking. Direct billing documented for Huashan, the three United Family hospitals, PUMCH, West China Hospital, HKU-Shenzhen and Taikang Xianlin depends on participating insurers, your policy and emergency eligibility; it does not mean free care, and generic debit/credit card acceptance does not establish foreign-issued card acceptance.

Before travel, call the international department to confirm the current emergency entrance, English coverage, clinic hours, passport registration, foreign-issued card/cash payment and insurance eligibility: many of these details were not established in official sources, and old appointment pages and entrances may have changed. These are advance checks, not a step to take before calling 120 in an emergency.

For bringing personal medicines across the border, see what you can bring into China; the existing customs and food allergy guidance was checked for consistency, and entry rules are not repeated here.

Everyday pharmacy purchases: which medicines do not require a prescription. This guide does not advise on medicine selection; for a severe allergic reaction, call 120. The NMPA’s published model OTC insert lists loratadine granules as OTC; a 2008 SFDA notice converted cetirizine hydrochloride tablets (listed product specification: 10 mg, not dosing instructions) to Class A OTC, read from an archive because the original official page is offline. Under the official classification rules, OTC purchases do not require a doctor’s prescription; this does not establish pharmacy stock or classify every formulation, and official passport requirements for foreign visitors buying these OTC products were not found nationwide or for these eight cities.