Dominic Tang Yee-ming and the Change of the Guangzhou Catholic Church (1951–1958)

In 1951, under the tension between the Vatican and communist China, Dominic Tang Yee-ming SJ became the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Guangzhou, with the rights and duties of a residential bishop. His opposition to the participation of priests and laypeople in the Catholic Patriotic Association and his insistence on withdrawing from the Legion of Mary led to confrontations with the United Front Work, which sought to transform the Church in China. By 1957, amid the Anti-Rightist Movement and a general political shift to the left, the United Front Work transitioned to politically condemning Tang, in response to Tang’s religious sanctions. With reference to Tang’s experience under communism in Canton, this chapter argues that the celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic Mass possesses an intrinsic capacity to serve as an effective means of political protest. Furthermore, the chapter demonstrates that in 1950s China, prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the office of bishop entailed not only religious fidelity to the Holy See but also a distinct political dimension.