Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Services (ACS), which will be able to advise you on both medical and legal avenues. For
extra protection, you should register your residence in Beijing at your embassy, or with
your country's government travel service, such as the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
(
https://step.state.gov/step
)
. There are various opinions on whether or not you should carry
your passport on you. If you prefer not to, at the very least you should keep a photocopy of
your visa and passport in your wallet or bag at all times.
Finally, for more and ongoing information, keep an eye on
http://travel.state.gov
or the
Overseas Security Advisory Council (
www.osac.gov
)
website.
If you've lived in virtually any major city of the Western world, the sound of emergency-
vehicle sirens is almost as common as ring tones. In Beijing, however, there is a strange
absence of emergency vehicles. Police, fire engines, and ambulances alike rarely beat their
way along the roads with lights flashing or sirens wailing. If anything, they may have their
lights flashing, but they'll crawl along at the same pace as the rest of the traffic, with few
road users making an effort to clear a passage for them.
Beijing is luckier than most of China. Ambulance crews are a little better trained than
they were pre-2008 Olympics, but they're still a far shot from international standards, and
many are simply workers rather than real paramedics. Many vehicles are crude, poorly
equipped, and simply for transport, not treatment. You may need to prepay for your am-
bulance before they'll take you (approximately RMB300). Additionally, once in an ambu-
lance, you can not request which hospital to be taken to. In most cases drivers will be re-
quired to take you to the nearest state hospital. Given these factors, it's generally wiser to
opt for a taxi or the closest available car if possible, and to accept that you may need to as-
sume the role of medic. Be sure to have a quality first aid kit at home. Ready-made kits can
be purchased from such places as International SOS and Beijing United Family Hospital.
Though Beijing is considered an earthquake zone, fortunately they're extremely rare.
The last major earthquake was in 1976, 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Beijing in Tang-
shan, Hebei province. It measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and killed more than 255,000
people. So, despite the infrequency, disaster planning is a big deal here and every hospital
has a protocol.
If you have a medical emergency, there are various facilities with English-speaking
24-hour emergency hotlines. These include Beijing United Family Hospital, Beijing Inter-
national SOS Clinic, International Medical Center Beijing, and Oasis International Hospit-
al.
