In this study, we report our experience with chorionic villus sampling (CVS) for prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia in mainland China. During a 4-year period, 308 pregnant women chose to have CVS for prenatal diagnosis. Chorionic villus sampling was successful in all cases, and post-CVS abortion was seen in only two cases (0.6%). DNA diagnosis was correctly done in 307 (99.7%) prenatal samples but maternal contamination was found in one (0.3%) subject. In total, 77 pregnancies were found with an affected fetus, and all of the affected pregnancies were terminated within 1 week after the CVS procedure. Our experience indicates that CVS is a feasible and effective technique for prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia.