Taipei, Archdiocese of
Located in the northern part of the Island of Formosa, it was erected on 30 December 1949 as an apostolic prefecture by division of the former prefecture of the Island of Formosa (now Kaoshung), and entrusted to the Chinese Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord.
The city of Taipei, capital of the entire island, under present circumstances has assumed the importance that Chungking had during the last war, since it has become the seat of the government of Chiang-kai-shek. On 7 August 1952, the same apostolic prefecture became a metropolitan archdiocese, with Archbishop Msgr. Giuseppe Kuo, of the same Congregation. Numerous foreign missionaries, including Jesuits and Franciscans, expelled from China, have transferred to Formosa as collaborators of the Ordinary of Taipei, where the movement of conversions has shown a notable increase and, with the multiplication of centers for religious assistance and propaganda, will grow rapidly. On the same date, two other independent missions were erected on the Island of Formosa:
1. Apostolic Prefecture of Hwalien, consisting of the two civil subprefectures of Hwalienhsien and Taitunghsien, detached, the former from the archdiocese of Taipei, and the latter from the apostolic prefecture of Kaoshung, with a population of 433,784 inhabitants. Catholics number barely 500. This is a geographically isolated territory from the rest of the island, with only two difficult access routes from the north and south. It is inhabited by indigenous populations of a race different from the rest of the Chinese population, which immigrated, particularly in the last century, from nearby Amoy (Fukien province), who have their own customs, live in isolation, and, besides their special dialects, speak Japanese, which had been taught to them by the previous rulers. This new prefecture has been entrusted to the Paris Foreign Missions Society.
2. Apostolic Prefecture of Kiay, consisting of the two civil subprefectures of Kiayhsien and Yuinlinhsien, located in the northern part of the apostolic prefecture of Kaoshung, from which they were detached, and immediately south of the archdiocese of Taipei. This new mission, with a population of 1,036,469 inhabitants, has about 5,000 Catholics and has been entrusted to the Chinese secular clergy.
Taipei, Archdiocese of
H.E. Archbishop Msgr. Giuseppe Kuo, first Archbishop of Taipei, speaks at the microphone immediately after his consecration, which took place on 26 October 1952.
Reading some discourses on the Bible, he became convinced that he was the second son of God, and therefore the younger brother of Jesus Christ; he baptized himself and, with a friend, went to Kwangsi to preach to the savage Mao Tse (1844). The new gospel promised every good thing on earth and in heaven, and its followers would all escape a furious cataclysm in prospect. The seer was successful, and soon formed a formidable army, which took possession of several large cities in the valley of the Blue River. Nanking was taken in 1853, made the capital of the Empire of T., and held for eleven years. They nearly reached Peking. This revolutionary movement, which aimed at the conquest of China to depose the Manchu emperors, threatened China just as it was engaged in the Second Opium War against England (1856-60). In 1860 the situation was very grave, when Prince Kung, brother of Emperor Hsiehfung (d. 1861), with a shrewd maneuver managed to take advantage of the new European-Manilese army formed by the two American adventurers Ward and Burgevine, solicited by the large merchants of Shanghai, having it officially recognized by imperial decree of 16 April 1862. It was this ever-victorious army, which, united with some imperial troops, succeeded in retaking the cities already fallen into rebel hands and, under the leadership of Gordon, who succeeded Burgevine, finished the campaign with the capture of Nanking (July 1864). The revolt had lasted fourteen years, extended to twelve provinces, and ruined over six hundred cities. Hung Hsu-tsüen had committed suicide the previous month.