Payment problem
Ask staff to check whether the payment arrived before trying again. Keep the receipt or failure screen. Use another available payment method if needed.
Payment guide and free sample →No internet
Go to a staffed desk or hotel reception. Show the “My phone has no internet” phrase below and ask for help getting connected. If you need urgent help, ask someone to call the emergency number for you.
Show a helper →Practical guidance
Keep your essential information ready when plans go wrong
In an urgent situation, your location and a short description are more useful than a long explanation.
Safety comes before the appMove to a staffed public place when safe, contact local emergency services for urgent danger, and do not delay care while troubleshooting a phone.
Before you start
Keep offline
- ✓Passport copy and visa details
- ✓Insurance policy and assistance number
- ✓Hotel address in Chinese
- ✓Emergency contacts
- ✓Embassy or consular contact
- ✓Medication and allergy information
Practical steps
Get to a safe staffed place
Move away from immediate danger when safe and seek help from police, medical staff, hotel reception, station staff or an airport information desk.
Practical steps
Share the exact location
Show the Chinese place name, map pin, building, floor, gate or platform. Send the same information to your trusted contact.
Practical steps
Protect documents and accounts
If a phone, card or passport is lost, block access through the issuer or account provider and record the incident through the appropriate local authority.
Practical guidance
Get urgent help in Shanghai and communicate your location
For immediate danger, call first and read later. In Shanghai, 110 is police, 119 is fire and rescue, and 120 is medical emergency. Your most useful preparation is a saved Chinese address with district, road, building, floor and a nearby landmark.
Language support is available, but location still mattersShanghai's 110 service supports eight foreign languages; official guidance says 119 and 120 can provide English support. Translation can add time, so start with the exact address, the emergency type and the number of people affected.
Before you start
Save this emergency card offline
- ✓Your current Shanghai address in Chinese, including district, road, number, building and floor.
- ✓Hotel or host phone number, travel-insurance hotline and policy number.
- ✓Passport copy, visa or entry record, emergency contact and any allergies or medication in Chinese.
- ✓Police 110 · Fire/rescue 119 · Ambulance 120 · Shanghai public service 12345 · Immigration 12367.
Practical steps
Call the service that matches the danger
Use 110 for crime, threats, serious disputes or urgent police help; 119 for fire, trapped people and rescue; 120 for serious illness or injury. Give the address first, then what happened, how many people need help and your callback number. Send someone to the building entrance or nearest intersection if it is safe.
- 110
- Police
- 119
- Fire & rescue
- 120
- Medical emergency
- 12345
- Non-urgent city help English and other language support is available.
Practical steps
For a medical emergency, prepare the handoff
Tell 120 the main symptom, when it began and whether the person is conscious and breathing. Follow the operator's instructions. Have someone meet responders at the entrance if safe; keep your callback phone free. Prepare identification, medication/allergy details and insurance information without delaying the call. Tell the dispatcher if the condition changes or help has not arrived when expected.
Practical steps
Show this if you need someone to call for you
Replace the brackets with your current location. Include the district, road number, building and floor; a hotel brand alone is not enough. English support or interpretation may take time.
- Please call an ambulance
- 请帮我拨打120，叫救护车。
- I need police / fire rescue
- 请帮我报警，拨打110。 / 请拨打119。
- My location
- 我在[区][路][号][楼][层]。 I am at [district], [road], [number], [building], [floor].
- Please speak English
- 我不会说中文，请说英语。
If something goes wrong
Medical help: the next decision
Should I choose an international hospital?+
For a critical emergency, call 120 and follow the responders' advice about a suitable hospital. Do not cross Shanghai just to reach an English-speaking facility. Tell the ambulance team about any hospital preference, but urgent clinical needs come first.
I need English-language hospital coordination+
Shanghai United Family Hospital lists a 24-hour emergency coordination line: 021-2216-3999 (from an overseas number, +86 21 2216 3999). Its Changning hospital is at 1139 Xianxia Road / 长宁区仙霞路1139号. This is one hospital's service, not a replacement for the city ambulance number 120; confirm what care is available.
What about payment and insurance?+
Urgent care should not be delayed while searching for an insurance approval. Once safe, contact your insurer about direct billing or reimbursement. Keep itemized bills, payment receipts and the medical report; an international department does not automatically mean cashless insurance coverage.
I was bitten or scratched by an animal+
Seek prompt medical assessment rather than waiting for symptoms or your flight home. Shanghai has dedicated rabies-exposure clinics; ask medical staff to direct you to an open clinic for the assessment you need.
Step 3 · If your passport is lost or stolen
Listed service hours: Monday–Saturday, 09:00–17:00; confirm holiday arrangements with 12367 before travelling.
Report the loss and obtain the official document
Contact Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration. Ask for the passport-loss report; the published normal processing time is two working days, not a same-day promise. If theft or immediate danger is involved, contact police as well.
Arrange a replacement with your consulate
Use the report to apply for a replacement passport or travel document. Ask your consulate about an appointment, photos, fees and an emergency document if your flight is soon; requirements depend on nationality.
Update your registration and immigration status
After replacement, update your hotel or local-police accommodation record with the new document number. Complete the required stay/residence formalities with Exit-Entry Administration within 30 days of the report's issue date.
Watch for thisThat 30-day procedure is not an automatic extension of your permitted stay. Call 12367 immediately if your stay expires sooner, your flight is imminent or the replacement is delayed.
Practical steps
Preserve evidence and case details
For theft, assault, a taxi incident or a serious payment dispute, photograph the location and save app trip records, transaction details and receipts when safe. Ask for the police case or report number. Hide passwords and payment codes from screenshots before sending them to an insurer, embassy, hotel or support service.
If something goes wrong
If communication breaks down
I cannot explain the address+
Show the hotel address card, map pin or Chinese address to nearby staff and ask them to speak to the dispatcher. State the district, road, building and nearest landmark.
My phone has no service+
Ask hotel, station, mall or restaurant staff to call. Emergency calls may work on another available network; do not depend on an app-only number.
I need my consulate+
Use your own government's official embassy or consulate website and verify that its Shanghai office covers your case. Do not trust a number copied from an unverified post.
I need help but it is not urgent+
Call 12345 for municipal services, 12367 for immigration, or 12306 for railway service. Save the operator or case number for follow-up.
Lost phone: restore contact, then protect accounts
Reach a staffed place before trying to recover accounts
Go to hotel reception, station Customer Service or a police post. Give your name, hotel/address and a companion's number from your saved or printed notes. Ask: 我的手机丢了，请帮我联系酒店或同行的人。 If there is immediate danger, ask them to call 110 first.
Use a trusted device and official support
With a trusted companion or hotel business-support arrangement, contact your mobile carrier to suspend the lost SIM and your wallets/bank to protect payment access. Use official app/site or card-back contacts, not a number sent by a claimed finder. Do not reveal passwords, verification codes or remote-control access to a helper.
Recover the next booking without your phone
Use your original passport plus saved booking references at the staffed hotel/rail/airline counter. Ask for a reachable callback number and an accepted temporary way to pay. A replacement SIM or new handset will not automatically recover every app account.
Keep one written record
Record where and when it was lost, last taxi/train details, device description and any case references. For suspected theft, ask police for a report; for a known taxi or venue loss, use its official lost-property channel. Do not travel alone to an unverified recovery address or pay a finder before verifying the situation.
Help communicating · Always free
Show these essential phrases to a nearby helper. No sign-in needed.
Please call an ambulance
请马上帮我拨打120叫救护车。
Show / Copy →Please tell them exactly where we are
请告诉接线员我们现在的具体位置、附近的路口或明显的标志物。
Show / Copy →Where is the restroom?
洗手间在哪里？
Show / Copy →I need help
我需要帮助。
Show / Copy →I am lost
我迷路了。
Show / Copy →I need a hospital
我需要去医院。
Show / Copy →I need a pharmacy
我需要药店。
Show / Copy →Please call the police
请帮我报警。
Show / Copy →I lost my passport
我的护照丢了。
Show / Copy →My phone has no internet
我的手机没有网络。
Show / Copy →My phone has no battery
我的手机没电了，可以帮我充电吗？
Show / Copy →