Health & Emergencies 🏥
我不舒服

• 📞
  Operators speak Mandarin only. If you can't speak, say 「我不会说中文」 (Wǒ bú huì shuō zhōngwén — "I can't speak Chinese") and they'll try to find a translator, or hand the phone to a local.
• 📍
  Always know your address in Chinese. Screenshot your location in 百度地图 (Baidu Maps) or 高德地图 (Amap) before going out — the Chinese street name is what dispatchers need.
• 💬
  Can't talk? Text 12110. This is China's SMS-to-police service — useful if you're in danger and can't speak, or if you're deaf / mute. Available in most provinces.
• 💳
  Hospitals: pay BEFORE treatment. Unlike most Western countries, Chinese public hospitals collect payment upfront at each step (registration → consultation → tests → medicine). Have Alipay / WeChat Pay ready, plus cash backup.
• 🏥
  For serious issues, go to a 三甲 (Sān Jiǎ) hospital — these are Tier 3A teaching hospitals, the highest quality. Search 「三甲医院」 on Baidu Maps to find the nearest one.
• 🌐
  Foreigner hotline: 12345. Many big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen) have English-speaking operators on this number for non-emergency help (lost passport, immigration, complaints).
• 🛂
  Tourists: 12301 is the China National Tourism Hotline. Also call your embassy / consulate for serious matters (theft of passport, arrest, hospitalization).

Pro tip: If a Chinese friend says 「我上火了」 (I'm "on fire"), they usually mean they have a sore throat, mouth ulcers, or feel inflamed — typically blamed on spicy / fried food. The cure is "cooling" foods or 凉茶 (cooling herbal tea).