If you come upon a group fighting, back away and leave; don't step in to break it up, don't stand and watch, and don't pick up anything from the ground; if you report it, move to a safe distance and dial 110 (China's police number)

In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

Cost

Free. The hard part is holding back two urges: stepping in to pull people apart, and standing there to watch. After you report, you may get a call back for a statement, which takes up to half a day.

What you get

Criminal Law (刑法) Article 292: "for gathering a crowd to fight, the ringleaders and others who actively take part are sentenced to up to 3 years in prison, short-term detention or controlled release." For repeated gang fights, fights with many people on a large scale with a very bad social impact, fights in a public place or on a main road that seriously disrupt public order, and fights using weapons, the sentence is "3 to 10 years in prison." "Where a gang fight causes serious injury or death," the offender is convicted and punished for intentional injury or intentional homicide. The Public Security Administration Punishments Law (治安管理处罚法) also has penalties. Beating another person brings detention of 5 to 10 days and a fine of 500 to 1,000 CNY. Fighting in a group is handled as picking quarrels and provoking trouble, with detention of up to 15 days and a fine of up to 2,000 CNY. Article 5 of the Guiding Opinions on Applying the System of Justifiable Defense According to Law (《关于依法适用正当防卫制度的指导意见》): an unlawful attack "includes both unlawful attacks against oneself and those that endanger the state or the public interest or are directed at others." Article 9 of the same opinions: where one side strikes first with clearly excessive means, or where one side strikes first and keeps attacking even though the other side is trying to avoid conflict, the side that hits back should generally be found to have acted in defense

Notes

Graded B because the consequences half has hard statutory text, but the step of "back away and report, don't step in to break it up" has no official original and is inferred from the statutes and from how mutual fights are judged. "I was there to break it up" is not a shield: what counts is whether you struck and whom you hit. If the other person is already down or has run and you chase and hit them, it is no longer defense. When you see someone surrounded and beaten one-sidedly, the law does allow you to stop it. Justifiable defense protects not only yourself but others too. But going in bare-handed mostly just adds another injured person. Calling for people, filming from a distance and reporting to the police work better. "Not stepping in and not watching" does only good for you. The benefit of dialing 110 falls mainly on the person on the ground, which is the lowest tier of beneficiary in this guide, and whether you spend the time is for you to weigh. Before weighing, know a few things. The duty to testify exists anyway: Criminal Procedure Law (刑事诉讼法) Article 62 states that everyone who knows about a case has a duty to testify, and it does not go away if you don't make the call. When there is serious injury or a death, the police pull camera footage and find the people who were there anyway, and onlookers who stood watching are the most likely to be recorded. Where a person reporting does not want their name made public, the investigating authority "shall keep it secret for them" (Article 111). Once you have said where, how many, and whether anyone has weapons, you can hang up and don't need to stay. What leads to a reprimand or detention of up to 10 days is when the court notifies you to appear, you have no proper reason, and you still refuse to testify (Article 193), and passersby very rarely get that far. Not reporting is not itself illegal: the line in Criminal Procedure Law Article 110 about "having both the right and the duty" carries no penalty, and the Criminal Law has no crime of an ordinary person knowing and not reporting, so walking away is a lawful option. After you walk away, there are only two red lines. One is helping to hide people or giving a false alibi afterward (Criminal Law Article 310, up to 3 years, and 3 to 10 years in serious cases). The other is deliberately giving false testimony when called as a witness (Article 305, up to 3 years, and 3 to 7 years in serious cases). Staying silent and telling the truth are both fine, and making things up is what gets you in trouble. If you yourself get drawn into a conflict, see §8.10; for a stranger demanding money, see §13.36; for money after you are hurt while helping, see §13.39.

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. 全国人大 (1997). 刑法（第二百三十二、二百三十四、二百九十二、三百零五、三百一十条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180206_364975.shtml
2. 全国人大常委会 (2025). 治安管理处罚法（2025 年修订，第三十、五十一条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml
3. 最高人民法院、最高人民检察院、公安部 (2020). 关于依法适用正当防卫制度的指导意见（法发〔2020〕31 号，第 5、9 条）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/251611.html
4. 全国人大 (2018). 刑事诉讼法（2018 年修订，第六十二、一百一十、一百一十一、一百九十三条）. 宁夏回族自治区人民检察院转载全文 https://www.nx.jcy.gov.cn/zwsy/qwfb/202011/t20201119_608817.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 37. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer