The Only Italian Concession in China

The Italian concession was the only concession Italy ever held in China and the only one it held anywhere overseas, which makes this patch of Hebei District unusual in the world rather than only in the city. It covered about 771 mu, bounded east by Wujing Road, west by Shengli Road, south by the Hai River and north by the Jingshan railway. It was formally established on 7 June 1902, when the new Italian minister signed the articles with Tang Shaoyi. Its core block, enclosed by Wujing Road, Boai Road, Shengli Road and Jianguo Road, has since been opened as the Italian Style Town, a place that is at once a historic quarter and a commercial development.

What the Italians did before building houses is the most interesting fact about the quarter. The first consul had the low, marshy ground filled with waste soil dredged from the Hai River, laid out roads radially around what is now Marco Polo Square, and built a complete underground drainage system from the start. A concession built on reclaimed ground has to solve water before it can sell plots, and the radial plan around a square is a recognisable piece of European urban design transplanted wholesale. The result is a street pattern that still reads as a single decision rather than an accumulation, which is why the quarter feels different from the British and French areas beside it.

The population record shows a concession that was never mainly Italian. In 1906 the quarter held 251 Italians and 12,419 Chinese; by 1943 it held 965 Westerners and 13,642 Chinese. Its residents included Liang Qichao, the playwright Cao Yu, and the warlords Cao Kun and Tang Yulin, and the quarter became the largest and best preserved Italian style building group outside Italy. Its core block, enclosed by Wujing Road, Boai Road, Shengli Road and Jianguo Road, has since been opened as the Italian Style Town. It was listed as a protected historic style area in 1986 with a protected extent of 28.45 hectares and later rated a national 4A scenic area.