Italian Style Town

The Italian Style Town (天津意式风情区) occupies the former Italian concession, the only concession Italy ever held in China and the only one it held overseas, in today's Hebei District. The concession covered about 771 mu, bounded east by Wujing Road, west by Shengli Road, south by the Hai River and north by the Jingshan railway, and it was formally established on 7 June 1902 when the Italian minister signed the articles with Tang Shaoyi. Roads were laid out radially around today's Marco Polo Square, and a complete underground drainage system was built from the start. In 1906 it held 251 Italians and 12,419 Chinese; by 1943 it held 965 Westerners and 13,642 Chinese.