NANCHANG, China - Father Peter Wang Leizhen, the first resident priest in this area in 40 years, has decided to erect a statue in honour of Matteo Ricci, on the occasion of 400th anniversary of Ricci's death in a parish near Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, East China. The statue will be place in the spot where, according to tradition, the missionary lived for some time around 1595. Before 1949, the region was an important centre of missionary activity and served about 3.000 Catholics. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) everything was confiscated and it was only in 1980 that the church was returned to the diocese.