Building on the right foundations

The Catholic Church is pushing to reclaim land and properties confiscated more than 40 years ago to extend its reach in China, as XuWei and Sun Ruisheng report from Changzhi, Shanxi province

The city of Changzhi in Shanxi province may have lost a notable entrepreneur the day Andrew Jin Daoyuan decided to commit himself to religion and become a priest in the Catholic Church.

Jin, who was ordained as a priest by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association in 1956, and as a bishop in 2000, was instrumental in resurrecting the fortunes of the church in Changzhi diocese after he and other local priests were forced to abandon their spiritual roles and become farmers during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).