This study had two aims. The first was to validate further Sternberg's theory of mental self-government in a Chinese cultural setting. The second was to investigate the relationship between teaching styles and teachers' characteristics. Two hundred and three (64 males, 139 females) primary and secondary school teachers from Shanghai, mainland China, participated in the study. Research participants responded to the Chinese version of the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory (TSTI), based on Sternberg's theory of mental self-government. They also provided a range of demographic information including gender, age, educational level, number of years of teaching experience, subject area taught, and grade taught. The results showed that the TSTI is basically a reliable and valid inventory for assessing the teaching styles of primary and secondary school teachers in Shanghai. The results also found that some teaching styles differed statistically in relation to teachers' particular personal variables, and partially supported the viewpoint that thinking styles are socialised. The general implications of these findings for teaching in primary and secondary schools are discussed. (Contains 7 tables and 2 figures.)