Roman Catholic Cardinal. Born at Puyang in what was then Zhili Province, Paul Shan Kuo-hsi frequented the Regional Seminary of St. Joseph in Chiughsien and at the Jesuit Philosophical Institute of Manila prior to joining the Society of Jesus at Peking in 1946. Following his training at Bellarmine College, Baguio, Philippines, he was ordained priest at Baguio in 1955. Rector of the Chinese section of the Sacred Heart School in Cebu City, after earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he served as master of novices at the Jesuit Novitate of Thuduc, Viet Nam, before initiating his ministry in Nationalist China in 1963. He was to hold a number of posts, mainly in the field of education, prior to his 1979 appointment as bishop of Hwalien. Receiving his episcopal consecration on February 14, 1980, he remained in Hwalien until 1991 while simultaneously working with the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference office of social communication and in 1987 was elected president of the Chinese Regional Bishops Conference. Transferred to the Diocese of Kaohsiung, he was installed on June 19, 1991. During his time in office, he was praised for his charitable work and for his ecumenical efforts that saw him reach out to both Protestants and Buddhists as well as for his accomplishments as chairman of Taipei's Fu Jen Catholic University. Created cardinal by Pope John II in the consistory of February 21, 1998 with the title of San Crisogono, aside from his strong involvements on the fronts of evangelization and interreligious dialogue, the Cardinal was well known for is social activities with many initiatives on behalf of the poor, the sick, the elderly, exploited women and prisoners. Hel intervened several times, even publicly, asking the government of Taiwan to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and to abolish the death penalty. In his later years, he also visited all the dioceses of the island of Taiwan to offer his testimony as a terminally ill patient in the light of faith, trying to instil in people the courage to face the challenges that life presented. Having been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer later in 2006 he was given but a few months to live but was instead to survive six more years during which he remained active and delivered over 200 lectures entitled "Farewell to My Life" in which he encouraged his listeners to live for God and make the most of each day. Succumbing to pneumonia secondary to his long standing cancer, he was originally buried at Kaohsiung's cemetery, but in accordance with his wishes, seven years upon his death, his remains were transported to the city's cathedral.