Beijing will soon launch a multilingual emergency services hotline so expats will be able to speak to an English-language operator, the local health authorities announced recently.
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Foreigners in need of emergency medical help, fire services or the police will be immediately transferred to a third-party English-language operator if they do not speak Chinese, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning.
It represents an attempt to internationalise the city’s health services to cater towards its estimated 140,000 expats.
The commission added that hospital signs will be made multilingual, and medical services such as consultations and doctor registrations will be offered in English.
To run the hotline, the commission has said it will train “high-level foreign language talent” through local institutions such as the Beijing Language and Culture University, and may add further languages including Japanese and French.
Why Need to Launch This
English Emergency Services?
Beijing has been cracking down since April on signs that use incorrect English or “Chinglish”, with the help of volunteer spotters, the state-backed Xinhua news agency reported.
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The services are part of a drive to make the city more accessible to foreigners ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
In December, the Chinese government introduced national guidelines for the use of English on public signs, including standardised translations for 3,500 commonly used phrases for public information.
Useful Telephone Numbers in China
If you have an emergency while you are traveling (such as fire or traffic accidents), or other trouble or have other complaints or questions, the following telephone numbers may be useful.
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| Police (Calling) | 110 |
| Police (Text message) | 12110 |
| First-aid Ambulance | 120 |
| Fire | 119 |
| Traffic Accidents | 122 |
| SOS in Water | 12395 |
Calling Tips
110, 120 and 119 are free calls. 110 may be used for all emergencies. It is the first number to call. Whether 119 or 120 is called depends on the situation.
The more details you can provide to the police, the better. At a minimum you will need to provide your name and location and give a description of the problem. If you don’t know the exact position, tell them the landmarks buildings nearby. If you are in a remote area, you will need to give the name of the town or village. After the call, you should keep your phone on in case they need to call you back. When you see a police car approaching, wave to them actively.
After calling 120, first-aid treatment is not encouraged. Unless you have first-aid training, you should just wait patiently for the doctors to arrive.
If you can leave the accident area, please wait for the rescue workers at some obvious places where they can easily find you.
| Complaints about Goods’ Qualities | 12315 |
| Complaints about Prices | 12358 |
| Post Code Information | 184 |
| Weather Forecast | 12121 |
| Phone Directory | 114 |
| Comprehensive Information | 12580/118114 |
| Railway Information | 12306 |
| Civil Aviation | 950137 |
Calling Tips
Both 12580 and 118114 provide similar services but they are operated by different communication companies and you pay for all calls.. They can provide help with hotel bookings, local transportation transferring information and information about local attractions.
| Bank of China | 95566 |
| Agricultural Bank of China | 95599 |
| China Construction Bank | 95533 |
| Industrial and Commercial Bank of China | 95588 |
| Bank of Communications | 95559 |
| Standard Chartered Bank | 800-820-8088 |
| Citibank | 800-830-1880 |
| HSBC | 800-820-8828 |
Calling Tips
Almost all of these banks provide English self-service and some provide you English staff service, so if you have any trouble related to the bank, you will be well served by them. There is a cost for calling any of these numbers.
| Air China | 95583 |
| China Eastern Airline | 95530 |
| Hainan Airlines | 950718 |
| Southern Airlines | 400-669-5539 |
| Beijing Capital International Airport | 010-96158 |
| Shanghai Pudong International Airport | 021-96990 |
| Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | 020-96158 |
Calling Tips
All these numbers are free and provide services in English.
When you use China Mobile service to make international calls you need to add 12593 before the number you are calling and add 17951 when making national long distance calls.
| China Mobile | 10086 |
| China Unicom | 10010 |
| China Telecom | 10000 |
Calling Tips
All these numbers are free and provide services in English.
When you use China Mobile service to make international calls you need to add 12593 before the number you are calling and add 17951 when making national long distance calls.
| EMS | 11183 |
| SF Express | 400-811-1111 |
| Yuantong Express | 021-69777888 |
| Shentong Express | 400-889-5543 |
Calling Tips
English services are provided by all these companies. These companies will send couriers to your house or hotel to help you to send out parcels.
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Source: SCMP, TRAVELCHINAGUIDE
HACOS,Business Services Solutions Master