116
(3
or
義子)
"Yeung Tsze", or "Yee Tsze" (
that is a fostered or reared up son, must be
one who was received into the family under the
age of 3 years and reared up by the adoptor as
a son and must also adopt the surname of the
foster-father.
From the above it will be seen that the word
"adopted" can only be applied to a son and is inappropriate
to a daughter as there is no such term in Chinese as "shing
Kai Nui"), an adopted-daughter,
As daughters do not come into the picture of
ancestral worship or or descent, the law does not prohibit
any one to take up a girl as a daughter whether she beurs a
different surname or is purchased with money or presented by
a friend or relative, and she may be of any age. The desig-
-nation and status of such a girl is a Yeung Nui (
女
a foster-daughter.
Personally I knew 3 cases of foster-daughters who
all belong to well-to-do families, In fact they were school-
mates of my own daughters.
That difference is there then between a foster-
daughter and a muitsai? I must state here that it depends
entirely on the treatment of the girl. If the treatment of
a foster-daughter is exactly the same as that of a natural
born daughter then she is a foster-daughter, if not, then she
is a muitsai.
In well-to-do families the difference can easily
be seen where there are servants and muitsais to attend to
household duties but in poorer families the distinction may
not be so easily drawn as both the natural and the foster-
daughter are required to do menial work and household duties.
The refore it is no right to say that because a girl does