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Despite the rapid modernization of the Chinese countryside, informal institutions have remained influential for villagers' lives. While lineage is known as an important informal institution, its influence on rural socio-economic wellbeing is under-researched. Two conceptualizations exist to study lineage; lineage is used as a social network, which is used as a hierarchical organization or patriarchal clan system. This article compares these two conceptualizations in the analysis of a lineage's influence on villagers' contribution to irrigation infrastructure management. In times where formal institutions in rural China have weakened, this article questions how much lineage has taken over some of the functions of formal institutions, such as infrastructure management. Based on a survey in Sichuan Province, the results show that lineage takes effect as both an organization and a social network.