The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced all universities in China to shut campuses and moved to distance learning in response to epidemic prevention and control. This is the first time that college courses have been completely delivered online across the nation. Therefore, this study examines Chinese college students' sense of community and their perspectives of taking online courses in synchronous and asynchronous teaching formats. A total of 1189 students participated in the study from a northeastern university in China. Results indicate that students have a stronger sense of community towards interacting, discussing, and sharing ideas in asynchronous online courses. Findings additionally highlight the benefits of taking courses in these two distance learning formats. For instance, active interaction is often stimulated through synchronous distance learning, while students can learn on their own pace in asynchronous online learning environments. Challenges are also perceived in both formats, such as being distracted by classmates in synchronous online classes or feeling social isolated in asynchronous online classes. It is expected that this study would enlighten Chinese higher education professionals to develop a tight online community and establish a supportive distance learning environment.