The article is an analysis of national stereotypes formed in Italy regarding the Chinese people. Italian anecdotes containing the lexemes “China”, “Chinese”, “Chinaman/Chinese woman” are selected as materials for the study. The author identifies the general characteristics of Italian anecdotes about the Chinese, studies the linguistic features of these texts and makes their thematic classification depending on the stereotype involved in them. The main themes of the anecdotes are peculiarities of gastronomic traditions and food habits of the Chinese; highly developed industry and a wide range of consumer goods; anthropological features of the Chinese people; copying of foreign brands by the Chinese; the number of Chinese in relation to the world population; personal qualities of the Chinese people; the influence of native language norms on the pronunciation of Italian words.The author concludes that the comic effect of Italian anecdotes is based mainly on the hyperbolisation of certain character traits of the Chinese, their patterns of behaviour and certain cultural and linguistic norms inherent in this nation, but not causing understanding among Italians. At the same time, it is noted that the humorous discourse does not contain aggression or insults, which makes it possible to conclude that Italians have a friendly perception of the Chinese people.