Abstract: The ancient Chinese society was characterized by family or even clan co-habitation with shared properties, thus the dominant inheritance practice of even division of family properties among multiple sons supplemented by a less common rule - inheritance according to wills - which played the role of protecting property interest of people of weak standing within a family. Effect of wills in ancient China was defined by multiple factors.

Key words: co-habitation with shared properties, even division of properties among multiple sons, will inheritance, non-household extinction, household extinction