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Chapter 25 / Complete chapter

Handling End-of-Life Affairs

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Chapter 25 editorial cartoon: A queue of difficult tasks. One at a time. Enlarge illustration
A queue of difficult tasks. One at a time.
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Editorial cartoon · Chapter 25A queue of difficult tasks. One at a time.

Original illustration with Chinese lettering; the English dialogue is below. Humour is a reading aid, not evidence.

English dialogue
  • Let's handle this one first.
  • We'll sort it out together.
Chapter 25 · Guide 1Author's grade A

If someone dies at home or elsewhere, first determine whether it’s a natural or unnatural death: in cases of accidents, unknown causes, or deaths discovered only after a long period of solitude, call the police immediately and leave the body and scene untouched.

For deaths caused by accidents, of unknown origin, or those found only after a long time alone, only the police can issue a death certificate. If the …

Cost
No expense at all — just one phone call is needed.
Benefit
Article 8, Paragraph 2 of the Regulations on Household Registration states: “In cases wher…
Chapter 25 · Guide 2Author's grade A

The death certificate is the key to everything that follows: whoever provided treatment issues it; for natural deaths at home, contact the local community health service center. It must be issued within one day.

If the death occurs in a hospital, the hospital that treated the patient issues the certificate. For natural deaths at home, the community health serv…

Cost
No cost at all.
Benefit
According to the “Interim Regulations on Registration and Management of Population Death I…
Chapter 25 · Guide 6Author's grade A

Funeral services are divided into basic and non-basic categories; a list of basic services exists, with their fees set by law.

Transporting, storing, and cremating a body, holding a farewell ceremony, keeping ashes in storage, and eco-friendly burial options — all fall under t…

Cost
There is no cost involved. Just spend a few minutes before departure to review the officia…
Benefit
All essential funeral services — including body transport, storage, cremation, memorial se…
Chapter 25 · Guide 7Author's grade A

If you encounter forced bundling, extra charges beyond the listed price, or a single service being split into multiple line items for billing, make a note of it and file a complaint.

All these practices are explicitly listed as price violations under regulations: failing to display price lists, adding extra charges beyond the poste…

Cost
No cost involved. The real challenge is staying diligent in the moment.
Benefit
Regulations identify five categories of price violations. Four of them are: not displaying…
Chapter 25 · Guide 8Author's grade A

Intermediaries such as funeral service agents, vendors of funeral goods, and event planners must register with the county-level civil affairs bureau

Intermediaries offering services like funeral planning, procurement of funeral products, event coordination, and information consultation must registe…

Cost
There is no cost involved. All you need to do is ask whether registration has been complet…
Benefit
Unregistered intermediaries are not included in the official funeral service information s…
Chapter 25 · Guide 9Author's grade A

Retrieving scattered funds: housing provident fund balances, social insurance payouts, and work‑related death benefits

Heirs can withdraw the balance in a deceased person’s housing provident fund account; this money is not held in a regular bank account, so it is easy …

Cost
No monetary cost, but you must visit several offices. Before you go, gather a death certif…
Benefit
The balance in the housing provident fund account can be withdrawn by heirs or legatees — …
Chapter 25 · Guide 10Author's grade A

Relatives of the deceased may request access to, copies of, corrections to, and deletion of their personal information

After a person passes away, their close relatives may, for their own lawful and legitimate interests, ask the platform to access, copy, correct, or de…

Cost
No cost involved. Only if the platform refuses cooperation would legal complaints or lawsu…
Benefit
The law explicitly states that upon a person’s death, their close relatives may, for their…
Chapter 25 · Guide 11Author's grade A

Heirs are liable for deceased relatives' debts only up to the actual value of inherited estate; submit a formal written disclaimer of inheritance prior to estate division to avoid liability

When a debtor dies, their debts do not automatically evaporate. However, surviving family members (children, spouses, parents) are legally obligated t…

Cost
Executing a written declaration of disclaimer is free. The true trade-off is relinquishing…
Benefit
Article 1161 of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China provides: "An heir shall …
Chapter 25 · Guide 12Author's grade A

Do not assume notarization is mandatory for estate inheritance: small bank deposits up to 50,000 RMB can be withdrawn directly, and real estate can be transferred at the registration registry by all statutory heirs together

For deposits totaling 50,000 RMB or less at a single banking institution, surviving spouses, children, or parents can withdraw the funds directly with…

Cost
Free. Requires visiting banking institutions individually and coordinating all statutory h…
Benefit
Under joint circulars issued by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBI…