Book VI of the Mín Fǎ Diǎn – Inheritance Law: chàbuduō

Abstract

Inheritance law within the new Chinese Civil Code has only been slightly reformed as compared to the preceding Inheritance Act of 1985. Besides minor amendments that are mainly based on interpretations by the Supreme People’s Court, only the obligatory administration of estates has been added as a key aspect of the reform. In addition, family law has been slightly amended relative to the several separate statutes that were in force prior to the codification of the Civil Code. None of these amendments, however, affect the rules of legal succession. In light of the considerable amount of large inheritances that are expected after the recent decades of economic growth, there remains an urgent need for reform.