This paper reports on two exploratory studies of situations that elicit shyness in Mainland Chinese children. In Study 1 (N = 100; M[subscript age] = 10.42) interviews with Chinese children identified three kinds of shyness-eliciting situations: social novelty; negative social evaluation; and public attention. In Study 2 (N = 162, M[subscript age] = 10.19), children's self-reported shyness in various social situations was found to be differentially associated with three forms of shyness common to Chinese culture: shyness toward strangers; anxious shyness; and regulated shyness. The findings revealed both similarities and differences in the eliciting situations for various forms of shyness in Chinese children. (Contains 1 footnote, 1 figure and 3 tables.)