Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

WHILE many young people might believe it is too early for them to start considering the matter of wills, over the years, an increasing number of people have been deciding to prepare these documents at much younger ages instead of waiting for their later years in life.

According to a paper released by China Will Registration Center on March 20, the number of people born in the 1980s who have made their wills has been on the rise in recent years.

Data has shown that the number of young adults born in the 1980s who made wills through the center increased from 73 in 2017 to 503 in 2020. As of the end of 2020, a total of 553 young adults born in the 1990s had already registered their wills at the center. The youngest one to register their will at the center was only a 17-year-old.

Such a trend is also gaining ground in Shenzhen, said Zhou Siqi, deputy director of the management committee of Shenzhen Wills Service Center.

According to statistics, among those who make wills in the center, 23 percent are under 60, 48 percent are 60 to 70, 19 percent are 70 to 80 and, lastly, 10 percent are over 80 years old.

Last year, a 22-year-old woman wrote her will through the center and became the youngest to do so at that location. Previously, the record was held by a 26-year-old citizen in 2019, with before him being a 37-year-old in 2017.

Meanwhile, the number of those writing their wills under the age of 60 has also increased from 9 percent in 2017 to 23 percent last year. “It shows that more residents have realized the importance of making wills early,” said Zhou.

According to the Shenzhen sub-center of China Will Registration Center, the youngest person to write a will that they have registered in their system so far is only 17 years old.

“Personally, I think making a will is like making a career plan. It is a plan for the latter years of one’s life,” Francois Feng, 28, told Shenzhen Daily.

According to Feng, the fact that more young adults are starting to make wills reflects the contemporary youth’s new understanding of life and death and shows that they are trying to be more responsible with their own life.

“Young people can constantly review and revise their wills until the final version is formed,” said Feng.

“I haven’t thought about making a will because I don’t have enough assets to leave to anyone,” said Jessica Huang, a 26-year-old white-collar worker. However, Huang said that she will probably think it over.

Hu Xinyi, a lawyer with Dentons’ Shenzhen office, said that a will is not unchangeable after it is made. “According to China’s Civil Code, a will maker may withdraw or alter his or her will. If there are several wills containing contradictory statements, the last legally made one will prevail over the others,” Hu said.