Before you leave the country, send your itinerary, where you will stay, and who is traveling with you to a family member, and agree how often you will make contact

If someone loses contact overseas, the family can ask the embassy or consulate for help. The embassy or consulate will tell the family how to report it to the local police, and after a case is opened it will also press them to act. That depends on someone in China knowing where you are supposed to be and when you are supposed to make contact. Sending a family member the flight number, the address, the companions' phone numbers, and how often you agreed to make contact is enough.

Cost

No money. Send a message before you leave.

Benefit

When a Chinese citizen's whereabouts overseas are unknown, relatives may ask a Chinese diplomatic mission abroad for help. The original text of the regulations says: "A diplomatic mission abroad shall provide the local way to call the police and other information on how to get help." After the local police open a case, the embassy or consulate will press them to handle it in time. Whether this help can start depends on whether someone in China knows where you were supposed to be and when you were supposed to make contact.

Notes

Writing down these 4 things is enough: the flight number, the address where you will stay, the name and phone number of the people traveling with you, and how often you agreed to make contact. If you are going somewhere with a weak signal or poor public safety, also say plainly how long with no news before they call the police. The cost of this is close to nothing, but the help procedures above can start only after a family member knows your itinerary.

Sources · 1

1. 国务院 (2023). 领事保护与协助条例（国令第 763 号）. gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202307/content_68917…（第十三条）；作者经验，无直接文献