A field experiment was conducted in 2006 to monitor CH₄ and N₂O emissions from rice fields as affected by strip mulching of wheat straws. The experiment was designed to have three treatments, i.e. (i) no wheat straw applied (Treatment CK); (ii) incorporating wheat straws evenly into the topsoil (Treatment WI); and (iii) strip mulching of wheat straws over the field (Treatment WM). Results show that compared with Treatment CK, Treatment WM significantly increased CH₄ mission by 2.7-fold. No significant difference in N₂O emission was observed between Treatments CK and WM. Compare with Treatment WI, Treatment WM decreased CH₄ emission significantly by 32%, while enhancing N₂O emission by 5.1-folds. The GWP of CH₄ and N₂O emitted from rice field was greatest in Treatment WI, which was followed by Treatments WM and CK, and the differences between them reached significant level. Compared with Treatments CK and WI, Treatment WM increased rice grain yield by 27% and 17%, respectively. Based on these results, the best management of wheat straw prior to rice cultivation is mulching of strips of wheat straws over the field.