Intergenerational Tension in Will-making Processes in 21st-Century Beijing: A Fieldwork at the China Will Registration Centre

This article primarily examines the will-making processes by older testators during my fieldwork at the China Will Registration Centre (CWRC) in Beijing, China. When older testators come to make a will, the organisation will secure their expectations, autonomy, and inheritance (re-)distribution. However, wills and will-making processes are far from being mere legal products. By analysing those cases through an ethnographic approach, particularly conversations with testators, evidence reveals that a will serves as a site of negotiation between personal, familial, and societal values, offering a unique and valuable perspective on how wills are associated with fluctuating intergenerational relationships reflecting broader social transformation in contemporary China. Moreover, the detailed cases this article presented illustrate that wills are not merely monetary but deeply associated with social and cultural aspects. Three main themes have been explicitly argued with the support of a...Show moreThis article primarily examines the will-making processes by older testators during my fieldwork at the China Will Registration Centre (CWRC) in Beijing, China. When older testators come to make a will, the organisation will secure their expectations, autonomy, and inheritance (re-)distribution. However, wills and will-making processes are far from being mere legal products. By analysing those cases through an ethnographic approach, particularly conversations with testators, evidence reveals that a will serves as a site of negotiation between personal, familial, and societal values, offering a unique and valuable perspective on how wills are associated with fluctuating intergenerational relationships reflecting broader social transformation in contemporary China. Moreover, the detailed cases this article presented illustrate that wills are not merely monetary but deeply associated with social and cultural aspects. Three main themes have been explicitly argued with the support of a classic theoretical framework and empirical data. First, the changing perception of traditional kinship ties sheds light on where inheritance decisions highlight the erosion of traditional family structures, resulting in new ways of kinning. Second, field data reveals an ongoing social stratification along with China’s contemporary urbanisation progress, causing increasing intergenerational tensions, which is seemingly unnoticed by many. Third, the impacts of gendered differences solidify women’s agency, often challenging traditional patriarchal norms taken for granted by older generations and prioritising individual autonomy. Through these themes, the analysis shows how valuable will-making is as a tool to help dissect social issues. I encourage further anthropological research drawn on wills and will-making processes.Show less

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Intergenerational Tension in Will-making Processes in 21st-Century Beijing: A Fieldwork at the China Will Registration Centre