近日，一名67岁的老汉无法继承其祖父母的房产，因为他无法证明他们已经死亡。

　　Xu Yiqing said the red tape began when authorities in Yichang, Hubei Province refused to put the property in his name without death certificates.

　　据这位名叫徐义清的老人表示，这件事始于湖北省宜昌市政府拒绝在没有死亡证明的情况下把这处房产归到他的名下。

　　The fact that his grandparents were born over 130 years ago has not convinced the courts or police, Xu said.

　　据徐义清表示，他的祖父母生于130多年前这个事实并没有说服法院或者警察。

　　老人继承房产"奇遇" 要为去世百年祖父母开死亡证明

　　Xu has been pleading his case to local agencies since 2015 in the hopes they can issue the proper paperwork, reported Xinhua News Agency.

　　据新华社报道，徐义清于2015年就将他的案子提交给了当地机构，希望他们能够出具一份适当的文书。

　　But obtaining death certificates for relatives who were born during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) has proven a bit of a challenge.

　　但是要获得清朝时（1644-1911）出生亲人的死亡证明确实有点困难。

　　Xu said he even filed a lawsuit against his two sisters - on the advice of their lawyer - in order to show no relatives were contesting ownership.

　　据徐义清表示，在律师的建议下，他甚至还把自己两个妹妹告上了法庭，从而证明没有亲戚在争夺所有权。

　　But the court ruled against Xu, claiming the three siblings had not proven they were the only ones who stood to inherit the property.

　　但是法院驳回了徐义清的请求，声称这三兄妹不能证明他们是唯一可以继承这一财产的人。

　　"The bizarre necessity of this document is a stumbling block that harms social justice and the efficiency of administration," said Wang Shouyi, assistant dean of the Institute of Law and Public Administration, China Three Gorges University.

　　中国三峡大学法学与公共管理学院副院长王守义说道：“这份文件令人瞠目结舌的必要性，是一个既损害了社会公正，也影响了行政效率的绊脚石。”