DIOCESE of. - It is located in China in the north-central part of the civil province of Shantung. Erected under the name of Changtien as an apostolic mission on April 16, 1920, by division of the apostolic vicariate of Tsinanfu and entrusted to the Franciscan friars of the Province of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the United States of America, on June 1, 1932, it was elevated to an apostolic prefecture, on May 18, 1937, to an apostolic vicariate with the new name of C. (from the city of the same name, seat of the Ordinary), and on April 11, 1946, to a diocese, suffragan of Tsinan.
It has an area of about 18,000 sq. km., mostly flat, mountainous in the south; the soil is very fertile, although there are less fertile areas and some barren ones. The communications between the main centers are quite good. As of June 30, 1947, out of an absolute population of about 3,000,000 inhabitants, Catholics numbered 29,200. The missionary personnel consisted of 18 Franciscan priests, 3 Chinese secular priests, and 28 sisters, of whom 8 were native. Catholicism has been preached there for at least 160 years, but the consolidation of the mission has occurred only in recent decades.