More seniors queue to write their wills

Many people crowded a room in Xijiaominxiang hutong in Beijing's Xicheng district on Monday, where they were either asking questions of legal experts in suits or sitting at desks filling out forms.

Most were older than 60 and planned to write their formal wills at the China Will Registration Center's first Beijing office. Those who registered Monday had to wait for 13 months to create their wills at the office.

The center was established in 2013 by the China Ageing Development Foundation and Beijing Sunny Senior Health Foundation to offer free will writing services for people older than 60.

More than 600 senior citizens came to the office to create their formal wills in the first three days it was open, and within a month, more than 8,000. At that time, people queued in lines about 100 meters long, and the office's hotline was always busy.

According to the Whitepaper of China Will Registration Center (2013-2017), in five years, about 110,000 seniors sought a will consultation and more than 80,000 wills have been created and stored at the center.

Instead of using traditional and simple ways to let family members know their last wishes, such as telling them or writing a note, more seniors are creating formal wills to deal with property arrangements.

They go to a notary office, a law firm or a third-party service institution, such as the China Will Registration Center, hoping to secure the legitimacy and effectiveness of a formally-executed that will, reduce potential disputes regarding inheritance.

Data from Xicheng district shows that inheritance disputes are the only type of 16 kinds of civil disputes to increase since 2007. Many disputes were caused by the absence of a registered will. More people are considering making a will at professional institutions.

A couple who were writing their wills at the office on Monday said that seniors have an open mind now, and because people don't know what might happen the next day, they can put their minds at ease after making a will.

Though this couple only has one child, they still want to create a formal will at an early date. "It will reduce disputes for my child. Now, there are too many disputes when children inherit properties," the woman, surnamed Qiu, said.

Qiu, 66, said that her sister died before their parents, and when the sister's son wanted to inherit the sister's all assets, she had to go to a notary office with the nephew for a document to give up inheritance rights.

After more than an hour talking with a legal expert at the center, the expert helped her make a formal will, and asked Qiu to handwrite a copy of the will and sign it. Qiu also received a mental health assessment, and made audio and video records to prove she was competent to make a will. She also was fingerprinted.

Many parents went to the office to create wills to avoid worrying about potential disputes related to property inheritance.

A retired professor, surnamed Meng, 64, said that behind the will is the family, and the family is the foundation of society, and only when families are in harmony is society in harmony.

"A legacy could break a family, and making a will is to rule the family by law, reducing conflicts and promoting a harmonious family," Meng said.

Chen Kai, a lawyer and the center's director, said that the demand for making wills is increasing, and seniors have realized the importance of it, but few of them will tell others about their experience.

"Making a will is a very professional thing," Chen said.

In the past, people wrote notes lacking necessary legal elements, which could be questioned, such as if the person was competent when making the will, or whether they were coerced into doing so.

"From this point, witnessed by professionals and third-party institutions, creating the wills will reduce disputes," Chen said.

Chen said writing a formal will is related to the health of seniors, a harmonious family and a harmonious society. He said that the government should pay more attention to making wills, giving it a clear position in services to the aging.