China siblings fight over dad’s US$420,000 inheritance, discover neither is biological child
Bitter legal tussle between brother and sister takes unusual ‘TV drama plot’ twist, turns spotlight on customs that favour male inheritors
An inheritance dispute in China took a dramatic turn when a brother and sister battling over a three million yuan (US$420,000) legacy inadvertently discovered that neither of them was the biological child of their deceased parents.
The case began after Sun, the family patriarch from the city of Tianjin in northern China, died in March 2025, according to the Henan Broadcasting System.
Before his death, he had transferred ownership of a three million yuan property solely to his son.
He also left a statement requesting that his son provide “reasonable compensation” to his adopted daughter.
“Our daughter is adopted, but we have always treated her as our own. In our later years, it was our son who took care of us. We gave the house to him, and he intends to compensate his sister. We hope you two can get along like true siblings,” the statement read.