China’s first-ever civil code came into effect on January 1. Replacing a raft of other laws covering issues from marriage, to inheritance, adoption and property, it has binding authority over all civil disputes.
A unified civil code has been on the Chinese Communist Party’s political agenda since 2014. After ten rounds of open consultation, the National People’s Congress passed the new code in May 2020.
Some changes introduced under the civil code reflect grassroots concerns, for example, the imposition of liability on people who occupy other passengers’ seats on a train. From January 1, seat thieves will face fines or being denied service. In other words, the open consultation was not a show.
However, Chinese feminists feel that their reservations about a newly introduced one-month cooling-off period before a divorce is finalised have been ignored. They argue that it undermines the freedom to divorce and disregards victims of domestic violence. There has been…