Visible and Invisible Changes in the Book of Property of the New Chinese Civil Code

Till now, the Chinese legislature has gone through three drafts of the Book of Property in the upcoming Chinese Civil Code 2020. Compared to the Property Law 2007, two changes, one visible and another invisible, are worthy of note. Specifically, the visible change is the right of habitation to be added to the numerus clausus list of lesser property rights. The invisible change is the modification of rules regarding delivery as a method of conveyance. The presentation therefore aims at discussing the nature, duration, and transferability of the right of habitation, as long as the rules regarding traditio brevi manu, traditio longa manu, and transfer of ownership to special movables, with reference to English land law and personal property law.