Tip: Save the phrase cards you may need before you go out. If a translation app fails, you can show the image directly to a hotel clerk, driver, cashier, restaurant staff member, or police officer.
First move: If you feel unsafe, move to a staffed public place, stop negotiating, ask for help, share your location, and call 110 if there is threat, coercion, stalking, or immediate danger.
Many uncomfortable situations are not dramatic at first. A vendor follows you. A driver pressures you. A stranger insists on taking you somewhere. A nightlife situation feels wrong. The practical move is to leave early and get somewhere visible.
The first thing to know
- You do not need to be polite to someone who is pressuring you.
- Staffed public places are your best first shelter.
- Do not go to a second location with someone you do not trust.
- If there is threat, coercion, or you cannot leave, treat it as urgent.
How to get out of the situation
- Move toward light, staff, cameras, and crowds.
- Enter a hotel lobby, mall, restaurant, convenience store, metro station, or police station.
- Message your location to a trusted person.
- Ask staff to call your hotel, a taxi, or 110 if needed.
- Do not continue bargaining, arguing, or explaining if the situation feels unsafe.
Prepare a simple exit plan
- Save hotel address in Chinese.
- Keep enough phone battery to get back to your hotel.
- Use official taxis, ride-hailing, metro, or hotel-arranged transport late at night.
- Share live location with someone when going to unfamiliar nightlife or remote areas.
- Keep a simple Chinese help phrase as a screenshot.
Unsafe-situation mistakes to avoid
- Trying to win an argument in a place where you do not understand the rules.
- Following someone to a private shop, upstairs room, back street, or second bar.
- Letting your phone battery die before getting back to the hotel.
- Staying because you feel embarrassed to leave.
Short lines for getting help
请不要跟着我。
Pronunciation: Qing buyao genzhe wo.
Please stop following me.
请帮帮我。
Pronunciation: Qing bangbang wo.
Please help me.
请帮我叫出租车。
Pronunciation: Qing bang wo jiao chuzuche.
Please help me call a taxi.
FAQ
Is China unsafe for foreign visitors?
No, most visitors have normal trips. This page is about practical preparation for the rare but stressful moments when something feels wrong.
Should I shout?
If you are in danger, do what helps you get attention and safety. In less urgent discomfort, moving quickly to staff and asking for help is usually the cleaner first step.
Important: This page is a practical travel guide, not legal, police, or medical advice. In a real emergency, use local emergency services and ask hotel staff, station staff, airport staff, police, hospital staff, or your embassy/consulate for help.
Before going somewhere unfamiliar: save your hotel address, a staff-help phrase, and a polite refusal phrase. The goal is to exit early, not win an argument.
Next: Go back to Emergency Help, or review what to do if you lose your passport or phone.