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In China, siblings found out they were both adopted while disputing their father’s Rs 3.6 crore property. The court granted equal inheritance rights, leading to a settlement.
News18
A man and his sister in China were fighting over their father’s property, but the inheritance dispute took a dramatic turn when they discovered that neither of them was the biological child of their deceased parents.
Sun, who hailed from the city of Tianjin in northern China, had transferred ownership of a property worth Rs 3.6 crore (three million yuan) solely to his son before his death in March 2025. However, Sun had also expressed a wish for his son to provide “reasonable compensation” to his adopted daughter.
The daughter, who was adopted in 1966, challenged the inheritance at the Nankai District People’s Court in Tianjin, claiming that the contract bore only her father’s signature. She argued that her mother’s share should still be considered part of the estate.
“Since the contract was signed only by him, my mother’s share should be treated as part of the inheritance. This house was given to me by my parents; no one is taking it from me,” she said, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
While the court proceedings were underway, the woman presented evidence that her brother’s household registration documents were marked “adopted”. This shocking detail revealed that her brother was not a biological child either.
However, the brother refused to share the property. He claimed that his sister had cut off ties with the family following a dispute in the 1990s, and that he had cared for their parents until their deaths.
The judge noted that being adopted does not disqualify a child from inheriting property. The court ruled that both the brother and sister had equal rights to the inheritance.
After hours of mediation, the two reached a settlement. The sister agreed to accept Rs 66 lakh (550,000 yuan) in compensation from her brother, who retained full ownership of the property.
In China, customary inheritance practices have long favoured sons, particularly regarding land and property.
Although legal reforms have promoted gender equality, deeply rooted cultural traditions still influence inheritance practices, often resulting in women receiving smaller shares than men.
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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