Numerous studies conducted in western cultures have demonstrated that the self-affirmation process is trigged when people experience a threat to their self-image and that it runs its course until the image is restored. As self-construal varies with culture, this study investigates the self-affirmation process of culturally Chinese people. In Experiment 1, 96 university students who had been prescreened with a social values scale were randomly assigned to the experimental conditions in a 2 (economic value orientation: high vs. low) × 3 (feedback condition: no feedback vs. positive feedback vs. economic subscale) factorial design. The main dependent measure of interest was the self-handicapping index. As predicted, the self-affirmation process reduced participants’ tendency to self-handicap. Those who received non-contingent positive feedback stil1 had a strong tendency to self-handicap. Facing possible impact to the independent self-image, the self-affirmation process was triggered to restore self-evaluation. In Experiment 2, 70 pre-selected theoretical-oriented culturally Chinese university students worked in pairs to complete a task. Threat to the interdependent self aspect was produced by giving the false negative feedback to participants that they were evaluated by the other party as performing inadequately as a partner. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of the following conditions: parent-son relationship affirmation, friend relationship affirmation, theoretical value affirmation, filler questionnaire, or the no feedback condition as the control group. The important dependent measures were the participants' evaluations of the cooperative process and their partner. Those who filled out the parent-son relationship affirmation questionnaire, as well as those who received no negative feedback, made significant1y better evaluations of the cooperative process and the partner than those in other conditions. That is, when experiencing negative impact on their interdependent self-construal, affirming important relationships, especially the one with parents, restores the self-image. When the interdependent self-aspect was threatened, self-affirmation on important personal values did little to restore self-evaluation. Implications are discussed.