Does adding a spouse's name to a pre-marital property deed give them ownership rights in China?

Yes. Under Chinese property law, adding a name to the deed constitutes a gift of property rights. Unless a separate agreement specifies otherwise, the spouse gains legal ownership of the corresponding share, and in divorce proceedings this is treated as joint property subject to division.

What happens to parental loans given to a married couple with no written IOU in China?

Without a written IOU, the loan may be treated as a gift under Chinese law. However, bank transfer records, WeChat messages acknowledging debt, and witness testimony can establish the existence of a loan relationship. The key is proving both parties understood it was a loan, not a gift.

Can a spouse legally transfer family business shares during a Chinese divorce?

Under Civil Code Article 1062, shares acquired during marriage are generally joint property. If the transfer occurred before divorce and consideration was nominally fair, the transaction may be upheld unless the other spouse proves malicious collusion under Article 154.

How is a social media account divided in a Chinese divorce?

A social media account combines personal rights (tied to the creator) and property rights (revenue generated during marriage). Under Civil Code Article 1062, income earned during marriage is joint property. The account is divided based on actual contribution — who created content, who managed operations, who drove growth.

Chinese Civil Code - Yonglun Law Firm (Page 2)

Chinese Civil Code

Signed a VAM Agreement Using the Company's Name — and When He Lost, His Spouse Had to Pay

How value adjustment mechanisms (对赌协议), nominee shareholding, and limited liability combine to create a debt trap in Chinese divorce cases. --- In my last piece, I wrote about a civil servant who structured a company so his mother held 70% and his spouse held 30% — while he pulled the strings from

Chinese Civil Code

When Your Business Partner Is a Public Official and His Mother Owns 70%: A Chinese Partnership Nightmare

What nominee shareholding, civil service bans, and marital property rules mean for your money — and why the person who put in the work often walks away with nothing. --- A few years ago, I met someone through a consulting case who had been thoroughly outplayed — not in business, but in the

Chinese Civil Code

He Got 400,000 Yuan in Accident Compensation. By the Time They Divorced, His Wife Had Spent It All. Legally.

Tags: Law, China, Marriage, Money, Legal --- Here's a legal rule that surprises almost everyone who hears it for the first time: in China, personal injury compensation is classified as separate property. It doesn't get divided in divorce. It belongs entirely to the injured spouse. Civil Code

Chinese Civil Code

He Got 400,000 Yuan in Accident Compensation. By the Time They Divorced, His Wife Had Spent It All. Legally.

Tags: Law, China, Marriage, Money, Legal --- Here's a legal rule that surprises almost everyone who hears it for the first time: in China, personal injury compensation is classified as separate property. It doesn't get divided in divorce. It belongs entirely to the injured spouse. Civil Code

Chinese Civil Code

He Drives a Porsche, Lives in a Mansion, and Pays $200 a Month in Child Support. Here's How.

Tags: Law, China, Family Law, Money, Divorce --- I was reviewing case files when I found one that perfectly illustrates the gap between legal theory and courtroom reality in Chinese family law. Hangzhou. The wife, married eight years, with a five-year-old child. The husband runs a company. During the

Chinese Civil Code

Her Family's Business Was Worth Millions. He Transferred His Shares for $2,000. It Was Completely Legal.

Tags: Law, China, Business, Divorce, Legal --- There are cases that make you angry. Then there are cases that make you admire the architecture of the scheme before remembering to be outraged. This is one of those. The Setup Suzhou. The wife's family runs a building materials business — decades

Chinese Civil Code

She Saved 2 Million Yuan Over Eight Years. Her Husband Lost It All Trading Stocks — and She Had to Eat the Loss.

Tags: Law, China, Money, Marriage, Investment --- I was reviewing case files recently and came across one that still bothers me. Shanghai. The wife earned 30,000 yuan pre-tax monthly. Over eight years of marriage, including red envelope money from parents during holidays, she had saved approximately two million yuan

Chinese Civil Code

Trading a Child for an Apartment: How Custody Became a Bargaining Chip in Chinese Divorce

Tags: Law, China, Family Law, Divorce, Relationships --- Our director recently handled a case that I can't stop thinking about. Shanghai. The wife is a local, earning 50,000 yuan per month. Her family owns multiple properties. The husband earns 7,000 yuan per month, has no house, no

Chinese Civil Code

You're an Only Child. Your Parents Leave You Their Apartment. You Might Not Get All of It.

Tags: Law, China, Real Estate, Inheritance, Family Law --- It feels obvious. You're the only child. When your parents pass away, their property is yours. End of story. Under Chinese inheritance law, that's wrong. And the consequences can be devastating. The Inheritance Chain Most People Don'

Chinese Civil Code

Ten Years as a Stay-at-Home Mom. Her Divorce Compensation: Less Than $3 a Day.

Tags: Law, Marriage, Family Law, China, Money --- You stay home for ten years. You raise the children. You manage the household. You sacrifice your career, your income trajectory, your professional identity. You divorce. And the court awards you compensation. How much? In most Chinese courts: a few thousand dollars. Total.

Chinese Civil Code

The Four Words That Cost a Stay-at-Home Mother Everything: China's Negotiated Divorce Trap

Tags: Law, China, Marriage, Divorce, Legal --- A woman came to our office recently. She had been a stay-at-home mother for ten years. Her husband said, "Let's do a negotiated divorce. It's fast — just 30 days and it's done." She agreed.

Chinese Civil Code

Title: You Signed the Divorce Papers and Got the Certificate. The Next Morning, You Realize You Got a Terrible Deal. Can You Take It Back?

Tags: Divorce, Family Law, China, Legal, Money --- You signed the divorce agreement. You got the certificate. The next morning, you wake up and the reality hits you: you gave up too much. Way too much. The house. The savings. You walked away with almost nothing because you just wanted it