Meaningful intercultural interactions are important to the achievement of today's educational goals, global citizenship and intercultural competence in particular. However, understanding of intercultural interactions between local and international students in classroom settings remains limited. There are few studies that simultaneously examine the way in which the learning environment is designed by the instructor to facilitate intercultural interactions and the way it is actually experienced by students of various cultural backgrounds. This study sought to unpack the complexities of intercultural interactions in Chinese classrooms. Data were collected from student and teacher interviews and classroom observations. Seven modes of meaningful interactions were identified, and four pairs of elements (i.e. openness and trust, structure and space, empowerment and confidence, and modelling and amplifying) were found to be essential. The distinct dynamics of Chinese classrooms are also highlighted.