LANLUNG, Diocese of. - In central-southern China. Erected as an apostolic prefecture on 16 February 1922, with 9 civil sub-prefectures of the Kweiyang mission (v.) in the province of Kweiyang and 4 sub-prefectures of the Nanning mission (v.) in the province of Kwangsi, on 27 April 1927 it was elevated to an apostolic vicariate and on 11 April 1946, with the establishment of the episcopal hierarchy in China, to a suffragan diocese of Kweiyang. It is entrusted to the Paris Foreign Missions Society.
It covers an area of 45,000 sq km. As of 30 June 1949, with a population of 1,500,000, there were 11,429 Catholics and 5,214 catechumens. Besides the bishop, there were 17 priests of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and 14 Chinese secular priests. The preparatory seminary had 20 students, the minor seminary 9, and the major seminary in Kweiyang 2. Auxiliary personnel consisted of 33 sisters, of whom 26 were Chinese; 43 teachers; and 54 catechists. The territory, divided into 19 stations with a missionary residence and 312 secondary stations, had 1 church and 41 public oratories. Among the works were 2 hospitals, 11 dispensaries, 12 orphanages with 124 residents, 1 hospice for the elderly with 80 residents. The 20 elementary schools had 278 children, and the 27 prayer and elementary schools had 802 listeners.
Fr. Müller, sent to L. in 1863 by Bp. Faurie, apostolic vicar of Kweichow, founded a residence there, which was soon destroyed in a Muslim revolt and Fr. Müller was massacred. In 1873, Fr. Renau succeeded him, founding several Christian communities. Fr. Aubry later expanded other centers that gathered about 400 Christians and 2,000 catechumens. But the true founder of the mission among the Dioi (the indigenous population, which forms three-quarters of the inhabitants, especially numerous in the 4 civil sub-prefectures of the province of Kwangsi) was Fr. Alfonso Schotter (d. 1903), who in 15 years of apostolate opened more than 40 schools and laid the foundations for flourishing Christian communities. In 1910, there were 7,100 faithful.