In a first for China since the “Law of Protection of Rights and Interests of the Aged” came into effect in July, a 91-year-old woman who sought support from her seven children won her case at the Qingpu District People’s Court.

In a ruling yesterday, the court ordered the eldest son to take care of his mother and ordered the other six to visit her regularly.

Prosecutors said the elderly woman, surnamed Weng, has three sons and four daughters. She had been living with the third son for over 20 years, but in May last year, he asked her to stay with the other siblings as he had to renovate the house. Weng then took turns, staying with the other two sons.

After the eldest son asked Weng to leave in June this year, she went to live with two of her daughters.

Although Weng wanted to live with her sons, all of them refused to look after her.

Weng then filed a suit in a local court. “I have no other requests. The only thing I want is that they provide me with a dwelling and see me more often,” Weng said. “I don’t need their money.”

Weng told the court she wanted to live with her eldest son as there was a hut behind his house and she was willing to live there.

But the eldest son suggested that she should take turns living with the three brothers and get for herself a better place than the hut. The youngest son agreed to that but also demanded part of the money he spent looking after Weng for two decades.

The court eventually decided to go with Weng’s wish and ordered the eldest son to look after her as she wanted and ordered the other siblings to visit her more regularly.