Established on August 2, 1929 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Shunking for the Mission of Sichuan (Szechwan), its episcopal see is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located in the Shunqing city center district of Nanchong, Sichuan province.

The Diocese of Shunqing covers 34 cities and counties,[1] including Bazhong (Pa-tcheou), Guang'an (Koang-gan-tcheou), Nanchong (Choen-kin-fou), Suining (Su-lin-hien), Ziyang (Tse-tcheou), and Dazhou (Su-tin-fou, formerly part of Eastern Szechwan Mission), totaling 25,000 square kilometers.

Upon the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Shunking, Benedictine monks from St. Andrew's Abbey, Bruges established the Priory of Saints Andrew and Peter at a site in the suburbs of Nanchong, known as Xishan (formerly romanized as Si-shan, lit.

[3] During the Second World War, the Benedictines served as auxiliary chaplains to the American soldiers stationed in this region.

Eventually, the priory was re-established in Valyermo, California, known today as St. Andrew's Abbey.