In 1924, in Shanghai, the first Plenary Council for China took place in communion with Rome. The canonical institution of the Roman Catholic Church, even then, foresaw the possibility of uniting bishops at a plenary council, i.e. on a national scale. But to hold such an assembly was, and remains, an exceptional initiative. This non-permanent collegiate instance can help adapt pastoral work and Catholic activities to the richness and the difficulties of a local context, and the Plenary Council of Shanghai succeeded in adapting canonical missionary law to the specificity of China at the beginning of the 20th century. The evangelization of the Middle Kingdom, which had begun long before, then required appraisal, consecration and a relaunch. For centuries, the direction of the Church in China had been obliged to rely essentially on many foreign congregational missionaries, and to deal with foreign political powers who took great interest in the evangelization of China. More than his predecessors, the Pope at that time – Pius XI – was capable of summoning such a council: his vision was to recommend that Chinese Catholics should participate in the canonical decisions and gain access to greater ecclesial responsibilities. So the Council of Shanghai marked an important and unique development in the history of this country and the establishment of the local Church, by putting an end to the famous quarrel of Chinese rites that had lasted since the 16th century. It also contributed to adapting the canonical missionary law of the entire Roman Catholic Church. To situate this event, analysed in detail from the viewpoint of its juridical originality, the author paints a vast fresco of China’s very long religious evolution, with its renowned and subtle encounter between Confucianism and the various Christian presences that had been in China for centuries.