Traditional Chinese personality characteristics such as inner harmony, concern for others, submissiveness to authority, and respect for learning so pervade Chinese biographies that they constitute cultural themes. In order to determine whether such themes are more evident in Chinese than in Western youth, a cross-cultural study of self-concept was conducted. Samples of primary school children from Taiwan and the United States (numbering 936 and 762, respectively) were administered the McDaniel-Piers Young Children's Self-Concept Scale, a 40-item instrument designed to generate yes or no responses to statements referring to respondent's self. Data were analyzed by separately calculating for boys and girls at each primary school grade level the percent of pupils responding to each item. Items showing consistently large differences between the two cultures were identified, and items with similar content were grouped. Taiwanese and American children were found to differ greatly and consistently in self-perception on items related to physical appearance, peer acceptance, and school skills. Two smaller item clusters were identified--one reflecting perceived evaluation of others, a second reflecting attitudes about family characteristics. Large differences were found on some items in these clusters. Substantial differences were also found on five unrelated items. Results are discussed in relationship to traditional themes of Chinese culture. Most items of the instrument used are included in data tables. (RH)