Health and safety, without the guesswork.
Prepare the essentials before you leave, know the nationwide emergency numbers, and use current advice from your own health authority. This is a travel-planning reference, not medical or legal advice.
Police 110 · Ambulance 120 · Fire 119 · Traffic accident 122. Calls are free; language support can vary.
Check destination-specific advice from your national travel-health authority and speak with a clinician about your itinerary, health history, and vaccinations. Rules and health risks can change by route and season.
Prepare before departure
- Arrange travel medical insurance. Check treatment, evacuation, repatriation, pre-existing-condition, and planned-activity coverage. Save the insurer's assistance number offline.
- Pack enough regular medication. Keep it in original labelled packaging and carry copies of prescriptions using generic drug names.
- Check medication legality. A medicine legal at home may be restricted elsewhere. Ask the Chinese embassy or consulate that serves your country when a prescription or controlled medicine is unclear.
- Carry a compact health card. Include allergies, chronic conditions, blood type if known, generic medication names, insurer details, and an emergency contact.
- Plan for your route. Heat, cold, mosquitoes, air quality, and altitude are itinerary-dependent. Pack for the places and activities you will actually visit.
Getting medical help
Public hospitals, international departments, and private clinics differ in language support, payment process, and services. Do not rely on a national price estimate. For non-emergency care, contact your insurer first and ask which facility it recommends in your city. Bring your passport, insurance information, medication list, and a translation app.
In an urgent medical emergency, call 120. Give the location first, then the symptoms. If communication is difficult, ask hotel staff, your host, or a Chinese-speaking bystander to help relay the address and situation. Contact your insurer as soon as practical after emergency care has been arranged.
Food and drinking water
The CDC and UK travel advice both say not to drink tap water in China. Use sealed bottled water or properly boiled or treated water for drinking. Food risk depends on handling, storage, and cooking, not whether a place is famous or crowded.
- Choose food cooked thoroughly and served hot.
- Avoid raw or undercooked meat, seafood, and eggs when hygiene is uncertain.
- Choose fruit you can wash with safe water and peel yourself.
- Wash hands or use alcohol-based sanitizer before eating.
- Seek medical advice for severe symptoms, dehydration, blood in stool, persistent high fever, or symptoms that are worsening.
Altitude
High-altitude destinations include parts of Tibet, Qinghai, western Sichuan, and northwest Yunnan. Fitness does not prevent altitude illness. Ascend gradually where possible, avoid further ascent when symptoms appear, and arrange medical help if symptoms are severe or worsening. Descent is critical when serious altitude illness is suspected.
Headache, nausea, unusual fatigue, dizziness, confusion, or breathlessness at altitude need careful attention. Discuss prevention medication with a clinician before the trip rather than buying or dosing it from an online checklist.
Heat, air quality, insects, and animals
- Heat: schedule strenuous outdoor activity for cooler hours, hydrate regularly, and take indoor breaks during extreme heat.
- Air quality: check a current local air-quality service. Travelers with heart or lung conditions should discuss a personal plan with their clinician.
- Insects: use an appropriate repellent and protective clothing where mosquito or tick exposure is possible.
- Animals: avoid touching or feeding unfamiliar animals. Seek prompt medical advice after a bite or scratch.
- Fresh water: the CDC advises avoiding swimming in untreated fresh water where contamination may be present.
Pharmacies and medicines in China
Product names, strengths, ingredients, and prescription requirements may differ from those at home. Use the generic name, show the original package when possible, and check the label before taking anything. A pharmacist is not a substitute for urgent medical assessment. Do not assume that an antibiotic, traditional medicine, sleep aid, or pain medicine is appropriate simply because it is available.
Everyday safety
Use the same situational awareness you would in any large destination: protect valuables in crowds, use official transport, and be cautious when strangers steer you toward an unplanned purchase or venue. Road traffic and quiet electric scooters require particular attention at crossings. See the separate Safety & Scams guide for common traveler scenarios.
What to save offline
- Your accommodation name, address, and phone number in Chinese.
- Your insurer's assistance number and policy details.
- A list of medications, allergies, and emergency contacts.
- The nearest appropriate medical facility for remote or high-altitude sections of your route.
- Our medical and emergency phrase cards.
Official sources
- US CDC: China Traveler View — destination health risks, food and water, insects, altitude, packing, and care planning.
- US CDC: Travel to High Altitudes — acclimatization and altitude-illness guidance.
- UK FCDO: Health in China — insurance, healthcare, medication, water, and emergency medical number.
- Beijing Municipal Government: Emergency Numbers — 110, 119, 120, and 122.