If a conflict arises, call the police first instead of fighting; the person who initiates the fight makes it easy for the other person's retaliation to be considered legitimate self-defense

No cost at all. Simply move to a crowded area and call the police so the other person’s actions are captured on camera. The hard part is resisting the urge to shout back or push them.

Assaulting others or intentional injury results in 5 to 10 days of detention and a fine of 500 to 1,000 yuan. Group fighting, attacking the elderly, pregnant women, children, or persons with disabilities, repeated assaults, or one person attacking multiple people will result in heavier penalties: 10 to 15 days of detention and a fine of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan. Group brawling is handled as picking quarrels and provoking trouble, with a maximum of 15 days detention and a 2,000 yuan fine; picking quarrels and provoking trouble means creating trouble out of nothing or causing a disturbance. Intentionally injuring another's body that constitutes a crime is punishable by up to 3 years; causing serious injury is punishable by 3 to 10 years. When two people fight each other, it is legally called mutual combat and does not count as legitimate self-defense. However, if the other party moves first and uses clearly excessive means, or if you have already tried to avoid it and the other party continues to hit you, your retaliation will generally be identified as defense. Only when you strike back excessively is it called excessive defense, which must simultaneously satisfy two conditions: clearly exceeding the necessary limit and causing significant damage. Even if it is truly excessive, the punishment should be mitigated or exempted (China, the Law on Penalties for Administration of Security shall come into force on January 1, 2026)

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；全国人大 (1997). 刑法（第二十、二百三十四条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180206_364975.shtml；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 6、9、11、14 条）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/251611.html

After the 2025 revision of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, all article numbers changed; assault now falls under Article 51 instead of the old Article 43, so any older references are outdated. The degree of injury that meets the criminal threshold is determined by official injury-appraisal standards, which this section does not verify. If the aggressor is already on the ground or has fled, the threat ends, and any further retaliation is no longer considered self-defense. Carrying a knife, baton or stun device for self-defense can itself lead to penalties if found; see Section 9, item 26 (do not buy batons or stun devices for self-defense).