Thursday, July 4, 2013

Visit your Parents OR ELSE!

China has for centuries prided itself on tight-knit families bound by filial piety, a Confucian concept that requires children to respect and take care of their parents for life. 
Kids are even required to study virtuous examples of those who kept this ancient faith, but in today's ever busier, competitive China, getting ahead often means leaving behind home and tradition. 
On Monday, China's omnipresent state put into effect its solution: Let parents sue their ungrateful offspring.
The legal avenue is included in a revised version of the Law on Protection of the Rights and Interests of Elderly People, which instructs that "family members who live apart from their parents should often visit or send regards to their parents." 
One mother did not wait long for justice. A Mrs. Chu, 77, convinced a court in the eastern city of Wuxi to order her daughter to compensate her financially and also visit her once every two months (and at least two public holidays per year), reported the state-owned China News service.
The revised law was greeted by ridicule and criticism by Chinese Internet users. After all, how does one determine just how often is often enough for visits, and the law contains no specific punishment for being a bad offspring. 
Still, some experts welcomed the revised law. 
"In the past, just a few people treated their parents badly, but now there's a large group of Chinese who are un-filial," said Xia Xueluan, professor of social studies at Peking University. "So it's necessary to legislate to protect the rights of the elderly and promote moral integrity."
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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