CHANGSHA, ARCHDIOCESE OF
A mission entrusted to the Italian Franciscans in China in the province of Hunan. Its area is 22,820 sq. km.; the population slightly exceeds five million. The preaching of the Gospel in this territory dates back to the second half of the 17th century. In 1856, the province of Hunan, separated from Hupeh, was erected into a mission in its own right and entrusted to the Franciscans, and in 1879, when this was divided into two missions, southern and northern Hunan, Changsha remained the residence of the southern Hunan mission. After the uprising of 1900, the works were revived and Christianity was reconstituted, though it suffered severe setbacks as a result of the war with Japan. Nevertheless, the work never ceased, and the mission gave rise to other foundations: Yungchow-fu in 1925, Hengchow in 1930, and Siangtan in 1938, all entrusted to the Franciscans.
From 11 April 1946, C. was elevated to an archdiocese-metropolis of the ecclesiastical province of Hunan, currently with three suffragan dioceses: Changteh, Hengchow, and Yuanling. As of 30 June 1948, the missionary personnel of C. consisted of 16 Italian fathers, 2 Germans, 1 Yugoslav, and 5 Chinese secular priests. The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary numbered 13, of whom 5 were Chinese; the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate numbered 9, all Chinese. There were 54 catechists, 78 teachers, 12 doctors employed by the mission, and 15 nurses. The schools comprised 10 elementary schools with 759 pupils and 2 secondary schools with 157 students. Charitable works included 2 hospitals, 10 dispensaries, 2 orphanages, and 2 homes for the elderly. By the same date, the Catholics numbered 9,081, with 1,038 baptisms recorded.