Chinese grandfather demands granddaughter take his surname or he will ‘die’

As compensation for providing housing and food for his daughter’s family of three, a grandfather demanded that his granddaughter take his surname.

The man’s daughter, who lives in Shanghai, made a complaint to a local family conflict resolution program on Saturday explaining that her father was demanding his granddaughter’s surname be changed to his, reported South China Morning Post.

“I have recently been hounded to death by my father,” the woman was quoted as telling a mediator. “My child is already 10 years old, but my father insists on changing her surname to his, or he claims he will die.”

The woman explained that her father was supporting her family and that they relied on him for housing and food. The grandfather purportedly felt “exploited” by his daughter and wanted his granddaughter to carry his last name as a repayment for his support.

Many online users defended the grandfather’s wish and argued that the request “makes perfect sense.”

If the woman chooses to have her daughter’s surname changed to her father’s, it is legal to do so under Chinese law, which allows child to have either the father or mother’s last name. The Ministry of Public Security reported that 7.7 percent of newborns in 2020 took their mother’s surname.

Feature image via Pexels

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