The Emergency Department at Zhongshan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University, was established in 1987. It is one of the pioneering disciplines in emergency medicine in China. The department is authorized to grant doctoral and master's degrees and is recognized as one of the first specialist physician training centers by the Ministry of Health. Additionally, It serves as the training center for emergency medicine residents and specialist physicians in Shanghai. In 2013, the department was acknowledged as part of the "National Clinical Key Specialties Construction Project." Over nearly 30 years of development, the department has built an integrated care system encompassing "Inpatient Emergency/Acute Care, Emergency Observation, and Emergency Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," successfully rescuing many critically ill patients. Its efficient rescue of critically ill patients has made a considerable impact in Shanghai and the East China region. Apart from treating a large number of emergency and critically ill patients from the Shanghai area, it also admits many critically ill patients transferred from other provinces and municipalities. In recent years, the annual workload in the emergency department has continually increased, surpassing 180,000 patient visits since 2012, with over 30,000 critically ill patients rescued each year.

In 2014, the entire Emergency Department  moved to the new Emergency Building in the East Campus of Zhongshan Hospital. The design of the new Emergency Building strictly adheres to the construction and spatial layout requirements set by the National Health and Family Planning Commission for the emergency department of tertiary grade A hospitals. It has separate areas for emergencies, emergency care, and emergency (special) pathways. The spatial layout and workflow are well-designed, and the building includes a helicopter landing pad for the rapid aerial transfer and treatment of critically ill patients. The Emergency Department at Zhongshan Hospital currently covers an area of more than 10,000 square meters and includes 10 regular emergency treatment rooms and 1 special treatment room. It has four well-equipped and functional resuscitation rooms for critical patients, each with advanced equipment for the rescue and treatment of emergency and critically ill patients. The department also boasts procedure and plaster rooms, as well as two emergency operating theatres for advanced cardiac, pulmonary, and cerebral resuscitation, and the treatment of multi-organ failure patients. The facility is well-prepared to diagnose and treat complex patients, including critically ill pregnant women,  and provide medical support  during emergencies and major events. The Emergency Department has separate areas for billing, laboratory tests, pharmacy, emergency ultrasound, electrocardiography, and radiology. Routine laboratory and ancillary tests for emergency and critical care patients can be efficiently carried out within the emergency and critical care areas.

Currently, Zhongshan Hospital's Emergency Department consists of three emergency observation units housing a total of 228 beds  to cater to various emergency and critically ill patients. The Emergency Intensive Care Unit (ICU) offers 24 open beds and is designed according to the "two-line and three-zone" concept with a dedicated corridor for family visits. The ICU is well-equipped with advanced monitoring of cardiac and cerebral function and various organ support equipment. It primarily admits emergency and critically ill patients with severe sepsis, shock, multi-organ failure, acute respiratory failure, heart failure, severe acute pancreatitis, severe electrolyte disturbances, acute poisoning, and polytrauma. It routinely conducts invasive and non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring, invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, bedside hemodialysis, percutaneous minimally invasive tracheostomy, bedside bronchoscopy, and hypothermia treatment, as well as organ support techniques.

The Emergency Department at Zhongshan Hospital currently employs 55 doctors, including 5 with senior titles, 12 with deputy senior titles, and 21 attending physicians. There are 2 Ph.D. supervisors and 4 master's supervisors, and 91% of the doctors hold postgraduate degrees.  There is a standardized training program for countless residents recruited annually, and presently, 23 residents are undergoing training at the Emergency Department. In recent years,  the department has cultivated a united, cooperative, optimistic, and forward-looking cultural atmosphere, promoting a sense of team spirit.

In recent years, based on the hospital's academic strengths and platform, the Emergency Department at Zhongshan Hospital has actively cultivated the development direction and clinical features of the discipline. It has developed clinical specialties in the diagnosis and treatment of severe sepsis/septic shock, multi-organ failure, severe acute pancreatitis, acute poisoning, early diagnosis and treatment of heart and major vascular diseases.  The department has been supported by various sources, such as the National Natural Science Foundation, Shanghai Science and Technology Commission projects, Shanghai Public Health Excellent Young Talent projects, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Development projects, Shanghai Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Integration Platform Construction and Cultivation projects, and Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission projects.  The department has been awarded research funding in excess of 5 million pounds.In recent years, the department has published dozens of SCI papers, over 50 articles in core journals, and holds many invention patents.