TSINAN, ARCHDIOCESE of. — The apostolic vicariate of Shantung, erected on 3 September 1839, comprised the entire civil province of that name in northeastern China, which until then had belonged to the diocese of Peking.
The seat of the Ordinary, after having been at Shierhlichwang, near Wucheng, in the territory of the present apostolic prefecture of Lintsing, was, for greater security, transferred and established at T. (1863) by the then apostolic vicar, the Franciscan Luigi Moccagatta. On 8 January 1885 it took the name of apostolic vicariate of Northern Shantung, ceding the entire southern part for the erection of the apostolic vicariate of Southern Shantung (v. YENCHOW). On 27 January 1894 it ceded the eastern part, with which the apostolic vicariate of Eastern Shantung was erected (v. CHEFOO); on 3 December 1924 it took the name of apostolic vicariate of T.; on 16 April 1929 it ceded 14 civil subprefectures for the erection of the sui iuris mission of Changtien (v. CHOWTSUN); it ceded a further 13 Lintsing (v.), which took place on 5 April 1931. On 11 April 1946, T. was elevated to a metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of Shantung, with the suffragan dioceses of Chefoo, Chowtsun, Ichow, Tsaochow, Tsingtao, Yangku, and Yencow. From the beginning it has been entrusted to the Friars Minor of the regular provinces of Alsace and Cologne.
Over an area of 25,000 sq km, it had, on 30 June 1950, 5,000,000 inhabitants, of whom 44,016 were Catholics; 317 churches served by 19 indigenous priests and 65 religious priests; 2 male and 4 female religious congregations; it has 1 major and minor seminary, 28 educational institutions, and 5 charitable institutions. At Hungkialu, near T., was located the Regional Seminary for major seminarians from the missions of T., Chefoo, Chowtsun, Iduhsien, Lintsing, and Weihaiwei.
At the time of its erection as an apostolic vicariate (1839), Shantung had nearly 5,000 Catholics, the fruit of the preaching of the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans. A seminary was founded there in 1841. Despite various calamities, such as the devastation caused by the Taipings in 1854, the flooding of the Yellow River in 1855, and the famine in the years 1877–79, the mission made continuous progress, as is demonstrated by the numerous divisions mentioned above.