Elderly Sichuan woman sues children for not taking care of her
Dispute triggered by law requiring offspring to provide emotional support, but can love be legislated?
As the daughter-in-law rolled open the rusted doors to her garage, light spilled onto a small figure on a straw mattress. A curious face peered out.
It was that of Kuang Shiying's 94-year-old mother-in-law, Zhang Zefang - better known as the little old lady who sued her children for not taking care of her. With her thin frame and soft smile, Zhang hardly looked the vindictive matriarch many assumed she must be.
In the village of Fusheng, Sichuan, where Kuang and Zhang live, the pace is slow and the atmosphere placid. But inside their home, there is war. Resentment hung in the air, acrid and sharp like the stench from the urine-filled bucket next to Zhang's bed.
"I never thought about whether my kids would take care of me when I was old," Zhang said. "I just focused on taking care of them."
The drama playing out inside this house reflects a wider and increasingly urgent situation. The world's population is ageing fast, because of longer lifespans and lower birth rates, and there will soon be more old people than young for the first time in history. This has left families and governments struggling to decide: who is responsible for the care of the elderly?
Family loyalty is a cornerstone of Chinese society, and on the mainland, more than 1,000 parents have sued their children for financial support over the last 15 years.
