SUANHWA, DIOCESE OF. - In the southern part of the Chahar Province in northern China.
It was erected as an apostolic vicariate on May 10, 1926, with 9 civil subprefectures detached from the mission of Beijing (v.) and entrusted to the Chinese secular clergy; on April 11, 1946, with the establishment of the episcopal hierarchy in China, it was elevated to a suffragan diocese of Beijing. On January 8, 1948, the part of the city of Kalgan west of the river that flows through it was detached from Suanhwa and incorporated into the neighboring mission of Siwantze.
It covers an area of 50,000 sq. km. As of June 30, 1947, out of a total population of 1,700,000, there were 36,000 Catholics; 54 priests, of whom 2 were foreign; 3 major seminarians, 50 minor seminarians; and 43 sisters. The charitable works and schools, as of the aforementioned date, had been closed due to political events.
Originally administered by the Jesuits, at least since 1724, the territory of Suanhwa passed to the Vincentians in 1785 and, at that time, had about 3,000 Christians. In 1900, the Boxer persecution destroyed five of the seven residences, and more than 2,000 faithful were massacred.