Legal heirs are a statutory list — a favourite nephew is not an heir unless the will or a dependant-share rule says so.
Statutory heirs are defined by the Civil Code. First order: spouse, children (including legitimate, illegitimate and adopted in defined ways), and parents. Second order: related pages and paternal/maternal grandparents. A surviving spouse’s own property is not the estate. People who were dependants of the deceased, or who supported them, may receive a share even if not in the class. Step-children and in-laws are fact-specific. This page is the list. The intestate related guide is /who-inherits-without-a-will-china. Order of classes is the related pages.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Is there a spouse?
Marriage not yet dissolved.
SpouseChildren and parents alive?
First-order class.
FirstIf not, related pages/grandparents?
Second-order.
SecondDependant or carer overlay?
Share adjustment.
AdjustWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Do step-children inherit?
If legally adopted, generally as children. Mere household living is not automatic.
Can a will cut out a child?
Wills can dispose of property, but reserved-share / dependant protections can still bite. Fact-specific.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.