Adoption

In China adoption is not a matter of personal predilection; it is regarded from the point of view of the whole family, and is also a legal duty. A Chinese without a son cannot die • happy. Apart from his own disabilities in the spirit-world, his ancestors also would suffer through the lack of II a representative on earth to attend to the nece ary sacrifiecs. Hence MENcres said ' The most unfilial thing a man can do is to die without a son. ' This is tlje religious or family reason for adoption. The law also requires a son-le man to adopt an heir to his property. Adoption is of several kinds. In legal or perfect adoption ( IMG:p19_5.png:Chinese characters U chi) a son-le man demands one of his brother's sons; or, if there are none, the grandson of an uncle, then the great grandson of a great-uncle, and so on. If a man (over 16) dies without a son the proce of adoption often goes on and a nephew or another is made his son. The rights and duties of an adopted son do not differ in any respect from those of one naturally begotten. Other kinds of adoption are simple adoption C kuo fang), and benevolent adoption IMG:p19_6.png:Chinese characters ch'i yang). In the former a man with or without children adopts a son or daughter of the same stock and of a lower generation but incapable of becoming his heir. In the latter the adopted child is not of the same stock: the surname is different or is unknown, and inheritance is therefore barred. These two kinds of adoption are not distinguished in ordinary usage; in either case the adopted child i'en are called IMG:p19_7.png:Chinese characters t tzti and IMG:p19_8.png:Chinese characters i nil 'conventional' or 'charity' son or daughteir. It is said that about five per cent, of Chinese families adopt children, seventy per cent, of the adopted being males. There is another kind of adoption often practised, based not on legal or religious but on merely superstitious grounds. When parents fear they may not be able to rear a child because evil spirits are against it or against the family, they think it po ible to cheat the spirits and avert evil by a pseudo-adoption of the child into another family. This superstition even leads to children being given in adoption to some object such as a tree, a bridge, an idol, etc. Hoang: Le Mariage chino is.