China husband divorces wife over surname dispute, woman wins custody of both children
Drawn-out legal battle turns spotlight on patriarchal tradition amid growing trend of assertive woman entering into so-called two-headed marriages
A Shanghai man has divorced his wife because she insisted that their son take her surname instead of his.
The case sparked a heated discussion on mainland social media about the Chinese tradition of inheriting fathers’ surnames.
The man, surnamed Shao, and his ex-wife surnamed Ji, have a daughter who took his surname in 2019, and a son who took hers in 2021, the Chinese news outlet Henan Television reported on February 10.
Shao kept on at Ji to let their son take his surname.
They eventually separated and decided to divorce in 2023. The two children have lived with Ji since the couple split.
Shao requested custody of their daughter and gave up that of their son, but Ji insisted on having both.