This article attempts to examine the implications of introducing critical management education to Chinese students. It is based on an empirical study of 26 students attending MBA programmes at three UK university business schools, one "old" and two "new" universities. The study seems to show that there are significant barriers and problems of introducing the tenets to Chinese students within a formal educational setting. The problems seem largely attributable to students' cultural diversity and learning styles that are incompatible with western pedagogical assumptions, values and critical intent, the professional roles of management teachers and institutional rules and procedures that are required to support critical learning. The findings also show the possibility of this paradigm generating student self-doubt, negative emotion and anxiety, alienation from students' sponsoring employers and lowering of student morale. The overall implication is that considerable staff resources are required to introduce the paradigm effectively to Chinese students. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 2 notes.)