Inheritance of ancestral worship and/or properties the application of the classical Chinese Language in the case of Liu Ying Lan

Abstract

The Chinese clan is a patriarchal one, and the traditional law and ethic of China are to safeguard the patriarchal society as such. As a traditional code of laws, the Qing Code (Ta Ching Lu Li) definitely defends the moral value of the concepts of 'loyalty' and 'filial piety' because the greatest beneficiaries of 'loyalty' and 'filial piety' are 'monarch' and 'patriarch' - the highest leader in politics and a clan. The very name of the Qing Code suggests that it is the general code of laws of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), and it should have been abolished following the collapse of the Dynasty. However, owing to the needs of the colonial government, certain parts of the Qing Code still remain in force in Hong Kong even after the downfall of the Qing Dynasty. Although the legally valid parts are confined only to those concerning the Marriage Laws, they still have bearing on important social issues, such as the inheritance of estates. Under the protection of the Qing Code, the patriarch and males in his extended line enjoy various inheritance rights. In some regions of Hong Kong, or more precisely the New Territories, females are deprived of the opportunities of inheriting their parents' estates. This is the result of the validity of certain parts of the Qing Code, which was abolished in China but …