We provide an open-access dataset containing salivary cortisol data and self-reported emotional ratings from 371 healthy Chinese participants who took part in a controlled laboratory study using the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Of these participants, 241 individuals were assigned to the stress condition and 130 were assigned to the control condition. The dataset includes various variables such as demographic information (e.g., age, gender, and BMI), salivary cortisol levels, trait and state anxiety scores, and positive and negative affect ratings. All of these variables were measured before and after the stress induction. This dataset is a valuable resource for evaluating the effectiveness of MAST in eliciting acute stress responses in Chinese populations, as well as for studying variations in stress reactivity among individuals.