This paper describes the currently available data on suicide rates in China, discusses the mental illness versus social stress causal models of suicide as they pertain to China, & provides a number of case reports that suggest a relationship between social change & suicide. The authors present their own multifactor model of suicide which includes 5 interacting factors that collectively determine the suicide rate in a community: cultural beliefs in the afterlife & the acceptability of suicide as a solution for social problems; the prevalence of social problems which place individuals in ambiguous social circumstances; the prevalence of psychological problems which limit an ability to adapt; the availability of means; & the availability of suicide prevention services. (40 refs.)