It was erected as a mission *sui iuris* on 18 July 1929, with four civil sub-prefectures detached from the apostolic vicariate of Foochow, and was entrusted to the Society of the Divine Saviour; on 21 May 1938 it was raised to the status of an apostolic prefecture. It covers an area of 7,881 sq. km. As of 30 June 1949, out of a total population of 270,411, there were 4,850 Catholics and 1,275 catechumens, served by 17 regular priests (13 Chinese), 1 secular Chinese priest, 3 scholastics of the Divine Saviour, 9 minor and 2 major seminarians. Auxiliary personnel included: 4 lay religious brothers, 24 sisters (16 Chinese), 18 catechists, 34 teachers, 22 baptisers, 2 doctors, and 51 nurses. There were 10 primary stations and 18 secondary ones, with 8 churches and 11 chapels. The works included: 1 hospital, 8 dispensaries, 2 orphanages, and 2 homes for the elderly. There were 5 schools in total, with 401 pupils.
The evangelisation of the territory of Shaowu occurred sporadically: in 1671 the Jesuits had 400 Christians there. In the second half of the 19th century, Spanish Dominicans established permanent residences in Shaowu and Kwangtsch. Towards the end of 1922, the first three priests of the Society of the Divine Saviour arrived in Shaowu, to whom the mission was later entrusted from its very beginning.