How Wills and Guardianship Can Shield an Elder’s Assets in China

Zhang, a wheelchair‑bound senior whose wife died in 2012, married his 45‑year‑old caregiver in 2014. The marriage soon became a warning sign for families worried about elder exploitation.

After the wedding, tens of thousands of yuan that Zhang kept at home began to disappear, and his nephew said the caregiver’s behavior changed, cooking less and staying away more often.

Zhang kept the problem to himself, so his relatives only discovered the financial loss several years later, when his health and finances were both at risk.

Concerned, the family consulted lawyers and were told that divorce would be lengthy and risky for an elderly man in poor health.

To protect assets worth more than 10 million yuan, his relatives took him to the China Will Registration Center.

After an assessment of his civil capacity, Zhang completed three legal steps: he drew up a will leaving his personal property to his nephew, he appointed a legal guardian, and he formally registered the documents.

Under Chinese law, property owned before marriage does not automatically become joint marital property. Naming a guardian can also shield an elderly person’s assets if they later lose decision‑making ability.

The case reflects a growing share of family disputes over elder assets, which accounted for 15.5 % of such cases in 2025, according to a Beijing court report.

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