When there is a will, there is a way, even in China

有遗嘱好办事？连中国老人也开始流行立遗嘱了

Despite tradition dictating¹ it being taboo² in Chinese culture, people are lining³ up to write their wills - and the registration⁴ service is booked through to December 2019.

尽管在中国文化传统中立遗嘱是禁忌，现在人们却排队去立遗嘱，登记预约已经排到了2019年12月。

Writing wills in China has now become a trend. More than 7,500 Beijing seniors have signed up for an appointment at the China Will Registration Centre, according to a report in the China Youth Daily.

现在，立遗嘱在中国已成为一种趋势。据《中国青年报》报道，已有7500多名老人在中华遗嘱库北京第一登记中心预约立遗嘱。

Ironically, some will have to wait one year for the first appointment.

讽刺的是，一些老人要等上一年才能与公证人员见第一面。

In traditional Chinese culture, it is taboo to write a will or prepare for a funeral in advance. People believe that talking about death may cause bad luck. Also, an early split of one's wealth may result in disputes among children.

在中国传统文化中，立遗嘱或提前准备后事都是禁忌。中国人认为，谈论死亡会带来厄运。另外，提前分割财产可能导致子女之间产生矛盾。

The China Will Registration Centre, which has offered more than 100,000 free consultations⁵ and archived about 82,000 wills since its establishment in 2013, said the older the customers, the harder they find it making a will due to worsening health.

自2013年成立以来，中华遗嘱库北京第一登记中心已提供10万多次免费咨询并订立大约8.2万份遗嘱。该中心称，顾客的年龄越大，就越有可能因为健康每况愈下而难以订立遗嘱。

From 2013 to 2017, about 64% of Chinese senior citizens do not have a will because they were not capable of completing the necessary formalities on their own.

2013年至2017年，因健康问题导致无法订立遗嘱的比例高达近64%，因为这些顾客无法亲自完成订立遗嘱所需的手续。

Because of this, Beijing's senior citizens have become more open-minded when it comes to writing wills. Some senior citizens have been seen lining up outside the will registration office early in the mornings and the registration service is booked through to December 2019.

基于这个原因，北京的老年人在立遗嘱的问题上思想更开明。一些老年人一早就在中华遗嘱库北京第一登记中心外面排队，预约已经排到了2019年12月。

And it's not only the seniors - young people in Beijing are also writing their wills. According to Li Zongyong, the head of a notary⁶ office in Beijing, the number of people over the age of 30 with a will was up 30% year-on-year.

不仅是老年人——连北京的年轻人也开始立遗嘱。北京某公证处的负责人李宗勇（音）说，30岁以上立遗嘱的人数同比增长了30%。

Their parents' situation may have been a motivation too. More young people now appoint their parents as beneficiaries, knowing that leaving their assets such as property to their parents is better than giving it to someone else.

父母的处境可能是促使这些年轻人立遗嘱的原因。越来越多的年轻人指定父母为受益人，他们知道将房产等资产留给父母总比留给别人好。

In addition, the high-pressure nature of their work can prompt them to write wills in case they die from stress and leave behind unprotected possessions.

此外，高强度的工作压力也是促使年轻人立遗嘱的原因，他们担心一旦自己死于工作压力，留下的财产得不到保障。

The awakening⁷ of private property rights among the Chinese is the main force behind the popularity of making wills.

立遗嘱变得流行，主要原因是中国人私有财产权意识的觉醒。

The China Youth Daily described the 60 square meter registration office as a place where many of the elderly leave the most important secrets of their lives - some left the softest touch to their children, some left behind despair.

据《中国青年报》报道，北京很多老人选择将一生最重大的秘密留在这间不足60平方米的小屋里——这里有老人从没对子女说过的一生中最温柔的话语，这里也留下过各种绝望的表情。