diff --git a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php
--- a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php
@@ -298,6 +298,14 @@
     return self::isCharacterSetAvailableOnConnection($character_set, $conn);
   }
 
+  public function getClientCharset() {
+    if ($this->isCharacterSetAvailable('utf8mb4')) {
+      return 'utf8mb4';
+    } else {
+      return 'utf8';
+    }
+  }
+
   public static function isCharacterSetAvailableOnConnection(
     $character_set,
     AphrontDatabaseConnection $conn) {
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementDumpWorkflow.php b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementDumpWorkflow.php
--- a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementDumpWorkflow.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementDumpWorkflow.php
@@ -179,7 +179,9 @@
     $argv = array();
     $argv[] = '--hex-blob';
     $argv[] = '--single-transaction';
-    $argv[] = '--default-character-set=utf8';
+
+    $argv[] = '--default-character-set';
+    $argv[] = $api->getClientCharset();
 
     if ($args->getArg('for-replica')) {
       $argv[] = '--master-data';
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementShellWorkflow.php b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementShellWorkflow.php
--- a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementShellWorkflow.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/workflow/PhabricatorStorageManagementShellWorkflow.php
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@
     }
 
     return phutil_passthru(
-      'mysql --protocol=TCP --default-character-set=utf8mb4 '.
-      '-u %s %C -h %s %C',
+      'mysql --protocol=TCP --default-character-set %R -u %s %C -h %s %C',
+      $api->getClientCharset(),
       $api->getUser(),
       $flag_password,
       $host,