Work engagement has attracted growing attention in management and academic circles. The job demands-resources model (JD-R) model shows how job resources influence work engagement. However, the psychological processes that underpin these relationships have not yet been fully established. Importantly, the cross-cultural generalisability of the JD-R and associated psychological processes has not been fully established. The current study aimed to examine the potential mediating effects of meaningfulness, felt obligation and positive mood on the relationships between job resources and engagement in a sample of Chinese telecommunications employees. The proposed motivational processes were largely supported. Practical implications and study limitations are discussed.