The Katian (Upper Ordovician) Shiyanhe Formation at the Sigang section, Neixiang area, Henan Province, central China, has been investigated for carbon isotope (? ¹³ C _carb ) chemostratigraphy. The carbon isotopic data document signal between the two major Ordovician positive shifts in ? ¹³ C, the early Katian Guttenberg and the Hirnantian excursions. The Kope (Ka1/2), Fairview (Ka2/3), Waynesville (Ka3/4), Whitewater (Ka4) excursions and a doubtful Elkhorn (Ka4) excursion are identified herein. The continuous and well-defined conodont zonal succession of the Sigang section provides a secure biostratigraphic framework for the mid-late Katian carbon isotope chemostratigraphy in China. Correlation between carbon-isotope data curve and the relative sea-level changes shows no clear correspondence, and hence the sea-level change is probably not the main driver of ? ¹³ C excursions during the Katian. Intercontinentally, the mid-late Katian carbon isotope excursions, identified mainly in the North American and Baltoscandian successions, are useful for improving long-distance stratigraphic correlations. This further suggests that these excursions represent global perturbations in the carbon cycle.