Prior studies have highlighted the importance of national or regional cultural imprints that are consequential for entrepreneurship. Yet, substantial variations exist even among individuals who were born and raised in the same place without a family history of migration. In this paper, we use the Chinese communist revolutions which nullified family influences concerning the transfer of wealth and managerial skills to explore the impact of family cultural imprints on individual-level entrepreneurship. Using China Family Panel Studies (2010-2020), we show that the offspring of pre-revolution ENT families are more likely to be entrepreneurs nowadays. This outcome is unlikely driven by necessity, but because of entrepreneurial culture transmission. We find risk tolerance, strong work ethics, and favorable learning attitudes are transmitted over two generations despite shocks and disruptions. We further underscore the social conditions – co-living with parents and assortative matching in marriage - that facilitate cultural transmission within the family. Overall, our study highlights the importance of family cultural imprints on entrepreneurship.
