SUMMARYSamples of soybean plants with virus‐like symptoms were collected from several locations in the People's Republic of China in 1981. These samples were used to prepare inocula for mechanical inoculation to soybean. Twenty‐one virus cultures were obtained, the identities of which were determined by serology, symptomatology and host range. Sixteen cultures contained only soybean mosaic virus, four of which were more pathogenic than any previously studied; one culture contained only tobacco ringspot virus, another only southern bean mosaic virus, and three other cultures mixed infections of soybean mosaic and southern bean mosaic viruses. This is the first report of the occurrence of tobacco ringspot virus and southern bean mosaic virus in soybean in the People's Republic of Ch