The Dinghushan flux observation site, as one of the four forest sites of ChinaFLUX, aims to acquire long-term measurements of CO₂ flux over a typical southern subtropical evergreen coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest ecosystem using the open path eddy covariance method. Based on two years of data from 2003 to 2004, the characteristics of temporal variation in CO₂ flux and its response to environmental factors in the forest ecosystem are analyzed. Provided two-dimensional coordinate rotation, WPL correction and quality control, poor energy-balance and underestimation of ecosystem respiration during nighttime implied that there could be a CO₂ leak during the nighttime at the site. Using daytime (PAR > 1.0 μmol^?1·m^?2·s^?1) flux data during windy conditions (u* > 0.2 m·s^?1), monthly ecosystem respiration (Reco) was derived through the Michaelis-Menten equation modeling the relationship between net ecosystem C0₂ exchange (NEE) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Exponential function was employed to describe the relationship between Reco and soil temperature at 5 cm depth (Ts05), then Reco of both daytime and nighttime was calculated respectively by the function. The major results are: (i) Derived from the Michaelis-Menten equation, the apparent quantum yield (α) was 0.0027±0.0011 mgCO₂·μmol^?1 photons, and the maximum photosynthetic assimilation rate (Amax) was 1.102±0.288 mgCO₂·m^?2·s^?1. Indistinctive seasonal variation of α or Amax was consistent with weak seasonal dynamics of leaf area index (LAf) in such a lower subtropical evergreen mixed forest, (ii) Monthly accumulated Reco was estimated as 95.3±21.1 gC·m^?2mon^?1, accounting for about 68% of the gross primary product (GPP). Monthly accumulated WEE was estimated as ?43.2±29.6 gC·m^?2·mon^?1. The forest ecosystem acted as carbon sink all year round without any seasonal carbon efflux period. Annual NEE of 2003 and 2004 was estimated as ?563.0 and ?441.2 gC·m^?2·a^?1 respectively, accounting for about 32% of GPP.