This study investigated connectedness-oriented behaviours during mother-child interaction and their associations with children's later school adjustment in China. One hundred and ten children, 50 boys and 60 girls, about 2 years old and their mothers took part in the original observation. Ninety-two children, 44 boys and 48 girls, of the original sample participated in the follow-up study 5 years later, when the children were 7 years old. The data of connectedness-oriented behaviours was collected from the laboratory observation when the children were aged 2. The school adjustment data were collected when the children were aged 7. The results indicated that children's behavioural connectedness and maternal encouragement of connectedness have different meaning to children's adjustment in later years in China. The possible influences of cultural values, only child policy and social changes were discussed.