Abstract: Carpinus cordata var. chinensis and Carpinus fargesiana are two common shade tolerant species of beech forests in Daba Mountains, China. Seed germination, seedling survival and growth under field experimental conditions were studied in relation to the regeneration. C. cordata var. chinensis seeds have a distinct dormancy of more than one year and mainly germinate in the second and third growing seasons after seed fall. Some of C. fargesiana seeds germinate in the first growing season after seed fall, but most germinate in the second. As the two species often produce seeds in the same mast year every two or three years, emergence of some seedlings in the forest occurs every year. Seedlings survive and grow significantly better under better-lit conditions than in the shady understorey. Fertilization can hasten seedling death especially in the understorey, but can enhance seedling growth in better-lit conditions. Results suggest that the seedlings of both species can persist in the shade of the beech forest canopy, but substantial net growth occurs only under better-lit conditions, such as beneath a sparse canopy or in canopy gaps.