Objective: To study whether spirometry respiratory disorders with and without dyspnea were associated with mortality in older Chinese. Methods: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study participants were classified by respiratory patterns and presence of dyspnea into 6 groups: normal spirometry (NS), airflow obstruction (AO) and restrictive respiratory pattern (RRP) with and without dyspnea (dyspnea defined by British modified Medical Research Council scale ≥2). Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were calculated using Cox models. Results: In all 16377 subjects, the increased mortality risk from AO was greater for all-cause (aHR 1.72 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49-2.00) vs. 1.46 (95% 1.29-1.65)) but lower for cardiovascular diseases (aHR 1.47 (95% CI 1.12-1.92) vs. 1.77 (95% CI 1.46-2.14)) than from RRP. Only AO was associated with lung cancer mortality (aHR 2.22 (95% CI 1.53-3.24)) (all P values 0.27), all the other aHRs were similar in those with and without dyspnea (aHRs ranged from 1.43 to 3.99, P values <0.05). The aHRs of all-cause mortality for dyspnea (aHR 1.37 (95% CI 1.17-1.60)) and cardiovascular mortality (aHR 1.45 (95% CI 1.13-1.86)) in all subjects varied by spirometry patterns. Conclusion: The increased risk from AO was greater for all-cause mortality but lower for cardiovascular mortality than from RRP. The associations of dyspnea and mortality varied by spirometry patterns. Spirometry and dyspnea questionnaires, which are seldom used in China and elsewhere, should be included in health examinations. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Guangdong Provincial Medical Science Research Fundation, Guangdong, China (A2018141), and the National Key RD 2012J5100041; 201704030132). The GBCS was funded by the Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau, Guangzhou (No. 2002Z2-E2051; No.2012J5100041); the University of Hong Kong Foundation for Educational Development and Research, Hong Kong (No. SN/1f/HKUF-DC;C20400.28505200); the Guangzhou Public Health Bureau, Guangzhou (No.201102A211004011), China; and the University of Birmingham, UK. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by Guangzhou Medical Ethics Committee of the Chinese Medical Association. All participants gave written informed consent before participation.