CHIHFENG, Diocese of.
It is located in China, in the civil province of Jehol. It was erected as an apostolic prefecture on 21 January 1934, by division of the apostolic vicariate of Jehol and entrusted to the Chinese secular clergy. On 21 April 1949 it was elevated to a suffragan diocese of Syiyan.
It has an area of 62,000 sq. km. The total population, as of 30 June 1947, was 1,700,000 inhabitants, of poor condition and engaged in agriculture; the Catholics numbered 29,300. The territory of this mission may be considered, of the entire Mongolian region, the one most deeply evangelized, especially in the northern and north-western parts, inhabited by ancient Christian communities. The missionary personnel, at the date mentioned, consisted of 34 Chinese secular priests, 4 fathers of the Congregation of Scheut, and 7 Chinese lay religious.