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 3)

Chinese Civil Code

Why a One-Signature IOU from Your Parents Is Legally Worthless in a Chinese Divorce

Imagine this: your parents lend you ¥1,000,000 for a down payment on your marital home. You sign an IOU. Years later, you divorce. Your ex-spouse says: "I never knew about this loan. I didn't sign anything. It's not my debt." The

Chinese Civil Code

The Three Chinese Characters That Turn a ¥1,000,000 Gift Into a Loan

In China, a bank transfer memo isn't just an administrative afterthought. It's a legally operative document that can determine — in five characters or fewer — whether your parents' ¥1,000,000 down payment is a recoverable loan or an irrevocable gift. Write "新婚快乐" (Happy

Chinese Civil Code

You Added Your Spouse's Name to the Deed. Congratulations — You Just Gave Away Half Your Parents' Money.

Under Chinese property law, adding your spouse's name to a real estate title isn't a symbolic gesture. It's a completed gift. And if you didn't specify a percentage at the time of registration, the default isn't what you think. The

Chinese Civil Code

You Bought the House After Marriage — But It's Still Not 50/50. Here's Why.

Ask anyone on the street in China: "If I buy a house after I get married, does my spouse automatically get half in a divorce?" Most will say yes. Most are wrong. The Myth of the 50/50 Marital Home Under Article 1,062 of China's

Chinese Civil Code

Your Family's Demolition Compensation Got You Two Apartments. Your Ex-Spouse Claims One.

In the Yangtze River Delta, demolition and resettlement (拆迁) has created more overnight millionaires than any other economic phenomenon. Families whose ancestral homes sat on suddenly valuable land receive compensation apartments — sometimes two, sometimes three. The children, only children under China's former one-child policy, are the natural

Chinese Civil Code

Adding Your Spouse's Name to Your Pre-Marital Home in China: The Rules Just Changed

The 2025 SPC interpretation rewrote the playbook. If you last checked the law in 2024, you are working with outdated information. When Liu bought his Beijing apartment in 2019, he was single and the sole owner on the title deed. Three years later, he married. At his wife's

Chinese Civil Code

Title: Is a Prenuptial Agreement Actually Enforceable in China? The 3 Conditions You Must Know

Tags: Law, Marriage, Family Law, China, Property "Who told you a prenuptial agreement doesn't work?" That's the question I start with every time someone tells me "prenups are useless." Because the truth is — they do work. You just signed yours wrong. Many

Chinese Civil Code

Title: Your Spouse Is Secretly Moving Money. Here's What Chinese Law Actually Lets You Do

Tags: Divorce, Family Law, China, Money, Legal You've just discovered that your spouse has been quietly transferring money out of your joint accounts. Your first instinct? Confront them. Demand answers. That would be the worst move you could make. Why? Because the moment they know you've

Chinese Civil Code

Title: Your Parents Bought You a House After Marriage. Under China's 2025 Rules, Who Actually Owns It?

Tags: China, Real Estate, Family Law, Marriage, Property Here's a scenario that plays out across China every day — especially in regions like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, where parents pour their life savings into their children's homes. You get married. Your parents buy you a house — full

Chinese Civil Code

Title: You Paid a 300,000 RMB Bride Price. The Wedding Never Happened. Can You Get Your Money Back Under Chinese Law?

Tags: Marriage, China, Money, Family Law, Relationships Imagine this: you paid 300,000 RMB in caili (bride price / betrothal gifts). You never officially registered the marriage. Now the relationship has ended. Can you get that money back? Many people think: "The money's gone. It was a gift.

Chinese Civil Code

Title: Your Spouse Racked Up Debt You Never Knew About. Under Chinese Law, Do You Owe Half?

Tags: Divorce, Money, Family Law, China, Legal You're going through a divorce when you discover something horrifying: your spouse has been borrowing money — for years. Business losses. Investments gone wrong. Gambling. Money transferred to their parents. Now they're telling you: "This debt was incurred during

Chinese Civil Code

Title: China's 30-Day Divorce Cooling-Off Period Is a 30-Day Danger Zone for Your Assets

Tags: Divorce, China, Family Law, Money, Legal China's divorce cooling-off period — the mandatory 30-day waiting period after filing for divorce — was designed to give couples time to reconsider. But there's a dark side that few people talk about: those 30 days can be the