On 7 September 1901, Italy was granted a concession of 46 hectares in Tientsin from the Chinese government. On 7 June 1902, the Italians took control of the concession, which was to be administered by an Italian consul.
After the First World War, Italy desired to add the former Austro-Hungarian concession which was adjacent to the Italian concession, and would have doubled its size. However, in 1917 China terminated the leases of Germany and Austria-Hungary's concessions. The districts were converted into "Special Areas" under Chinese control, with a separate administration from the rest of Tientsin.
Italy requested again the Austrian concession at the end of First World War and obtained it in 1920.[1] It returned to Chinese authorities when the Second Special Area (the former Austrian concession) was in danger of war and occupation during the Chinese Civil War.