PINGLIANG, DIOCESE OF. - In the north-eastern part of the province of Kansu (northern China). Erected as an apostolic prefecture with 17 civil sub-prefectures detached Tsinchow (v.) on 25 January 1930, it was entrusted to the Order of the Spanish Capuchin Friars Minor of the regular province of Aragon. On 24 June 1950 it was elevated to a diocese, a suffragan of Lanchow.
It has an area of approximately 54,000 sq. km. As of 30 June 1949, with a total population of 1,700,000, there were 5,063 Catholics and 308 catechumens. Besides the ordinary, there were 13 Chinese secular priests and 11 Spanish Capuchin fathers; 11 major and 17 minor seminarians. The auxiliary personnel consisted of: 4 Spanish Capuchin brothers, 7 Chinese sisters, 17 catechists, 13 teachers, 15 baptisers, and 8 nurses. There were 26 missionary stations, served by 13 churches and 25 chapels. The works included 6 medical dispensaries, 3 orphanages, 2 old people’s homes, 3 elementary schools, and 6 prayer halls.
The first Catholics in the territory of P. were colonists who had immigrated from the provinces of Szechwan and Shensi, bordering Kansu: there were 98 of them near the city of Kingyang in 1880, followed by others in 1891 in the civil sub-prefectures of Lingtae and Huating; by 1898 their number had risen to 700. From 1908 onwards the evangelisation of the indigenous people of P. began.