Undoped and La-doped Bi2Fe4O9 ceramics were synthesized using a soft chemical method. It is observed that in calcining La-doped Bi2Fe4O9, Bi(La)FeO3 phase rather than Bi2-xLaxFe4O9 gradually increases with increasing La doping content. The phase conversion from mullite-type structure of Bi2Fe4O9 to rhombohedrally distorted perovskite one of Bi(La)FeO3 with increasing La doping content indicates that La doping can stabilize the structure of BiFeO3. This is further evidenced that Bi2Fe4O9 can be directly converted to Bi(La)FeO3 by heating the mixtures of nominal composition of Bi2Fe4O9/xLa(2)O(3). Furthermore, the microstructure changes and the room temperature hysteresis loops and leakage current for Bi2-xLaxFe4O9 with x=0 and 0.02 were characterized.