近来有机会看到不少清代和民国期间的老房契。通过这些发黄变脆的旧契约,仿佛看到近百年前一幕幕房地产交易的历史情景。在这类交易中,最重要的当事人当然是卖方和买方。但除了这两方之外还有不可或缺的第 Recently I have had the chance to see many old deeds during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Through these yellowing and brittle old contracts, it seems as if they saw the historical scene of a real estate transaction nearly a century ago. Of course, the most important parties in such deals are the seller and the buyer. But in addition to these two sides there is an indispensable first