Abstract: This article reviews the large body of accumulated studies on Chinese self-esteem in relation to the hot debate about universality of the need for positive self-regard. Six lines of studies on Chinese self-esteem showed that: 1) Chinese self-esteem has similar structure as it is in the West; 2) Chinese self-esteem manifest pronounced positive self-bias as it does in the West; 3) High self-esteem is beneficial in China as it is in the West; 4) Chinese maintain and enhance their self-esteem tactically in culture-specific ways; 5) Chinese manifest low cognitive self -evaluation but similar affective self-regard compared with people in the West; 6) Chinese low self-esteem could be accounted for by factors characterizing Chinese culture such as modesty, moderate response tendency and naïve dialectic self. These findings suggest that the need for high self-esteem is pan-cultural although culture may prescribe its expression and the ways to maintain and enhance it.

Key words: self-esteem, China, culture, modesty, naï, ve dialecticism