They gathered in a local public plaza on the morning of July 22. Raising clenched right fists, 50 Communist Party officials from the southwestern China county of Qingshen vowed to sever ties with their sworn “relatives.” Another additional 300 promised not to adopt godfathers, godmothers, godsons, and goddaughters.
Fictive kinship—a term used by scholars to describe kinship not based on blood or marriage ties—refers to the time-honored Chinese tradition of adopting relatives, often nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, and godchildren. But the idea has been put to ill use in communist China, and such informal ties have become fertile grounds for corruption.
The move by officials in the province of Sichuan seems to be a unique, local gesture in support of Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign. It’s unclear if similar activities are being held across China—but the phenomenon of helping out sworn relatives is well-entrenched in the Chinese political system, and the public is familiar and furious with the practice.
