Related News
Where there’s a will there’s peace of mind
Print Edition
A VISIT to the Jiangsu branch of the China Will Registration Center a month ago has put Wang Ming’s mind at rest.
“I am happy. I have nothing to worry about now,” the 64-year-old said after receiving his will certificate.
According to his will, his fortune will go to his wife after he dies. When she dies, their son will inherit.
Wang’s wife has also made a reservation to register her will. She has scheduled the appointment for her 60th birthday.
East China’s Jiangsu Province has one of the largest senior citizen population in the country. As of 2016, those aged 60 or older made up 22 percent of the province’s population, or about 17.2 million people, and the number is growing.
“You never know which will come first, an accident or tomorrow,” said 61-year-old He Li. She and her husband recently registered their wills at the center, leaving all their belongings to their son, their only child.
“We had this idea a long time ago. We drew up wills at home and told our son about them. It is convenient that we can now register with a formal institution,” He said.
The Jiangsu branch opened a year ago, and more than 2,000 wills have been registered there since then, according to Pang Huaxing, head of the branch.
“We have seniors coming or calling for a consultation or reservation every day. We handle about seven to eight appointments per day,” Pang said.
Registering a will takes several hours. An applicant must complete an on-site consultation, drafting of the will, a mental evaluation and video recording. A will certificate is issued to the applicant about a month after making the application.
Most people go through the process to avoid disputes over the allocation of family assets.
“They want to make the allocation clear in advance to simplify ownership transfer procedures for their offspring. Some who have remarried want to leave a portion of their wealth to their natural child,” Pang said.
The oldest applicant at the Jiangsu branch was 93, while the youngest was 60. Of all applicants, 35.4 percent were 60 to 70, 36.4 percent between 70 and 80, and another 28.2 percent were 80 or older.
About 82 percent of the content in the wills is about property, while 18 percent specifies where savings should go. Spouses, children and grandchildren are most often the direct beneficiaries.
China had more than 230.8 million people aged 60 or older at the end of 2016, accounting for 16.7 percent of the total population, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The country’s elderly will account for about one quarter of the population by 2030.
The will registration center opened its first branch in Beijing in 2013. Since then, more than 70,000 wills have been registered at the center’s branches nationwide.
In Beijing, the earliest available appointment to register a will is next year.
A branch in Dongguan, a city in south China’s Guangdong Province, was established last year to respond to demand, becoming the first prefecture-level city to offer the service.
“I am in a good mood at the moment, so I want to settle things in advance to avoid disputes in the future,” said 83-year-old Li Ke, who came for a consultation.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
