Concessions and forts of Italy in China

Concessions and forts of Italy in China are the commercial and military concessions & fortifications that the Kingdom of Italy had in different Chinese localities until WWII.

History
Italy in the first half of the 20th century has had concessions and fortifications in Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, Shan Hai Kuan, Ta Ku, Amoy and Hankow. Since 1925 they were defended mainly by the "Battaglione Italiano in Cina" (Battaglione San Marco) and by some Italian Navy ships, like the gunboats "Carlotto" and Caboto" (later substituted by the minelayer "Lepanto"). They were ruled by "Consoli" (Governors), all resident in Tientsin:


 * Cesare Poma (1901–1903)
 * Giuseppe Chiostri (1904–1906)
 * Oreste Da Vella (1907–1911)
 * Vincenzo Fileti (1912–1919)
 * Marcello Roddolo (1920–1921)
 * Luigi Gabrielli di Quercita (1921–1924)
 * Guido Segre (1925–1927)
 * Luigi Neyrone (1928–1932)
 * Filippo Zappi (1933–1938)
 * Ferruccio Stefenelli (1939–1943)

There was even the Treaty Port in Beihai (southern China), that was allowed to have a small area for Italian commerce.

"In 1932...the Italian shipping company "Lloyd Triestino" opened a new service linking Italy to Shanghai by scheduling on that route two modern trans-atlantic vessels, the "Conte Biancamano" and "the Conte Rosso" (which immediately set a speed world record of only 23 days during the first voyage). With this new service, supported by those of other companies employed in the trade of various goods and products, the economic exchange between Italy and China reached such good levels to alarm Great Britain and France. Alberto Rosselli"

The Italian possessions in China enjoyed a relatively good economic development with huge Italian-chinese commerce in the 1920s and mainly in the 1930s.

Peking Legation Quarter
Italian troops occupied a section of the Peking "Legation Quarter" in 1900. Indeed the Eight-Nation Alliance of which Italy belonged, at the end of the Battle of Peking, obtained the right to station troops to protect their legations in China's capital by the terms of the Boxer Protocol.

The Legation Quarter was encircled by a wall and all Chinese residents in the area were ordered to relocate away. Sealed from its immediate environment, the Legation Quarter became a city within the city exclusively for foreigners and many Chinese nationalists resented the Quarter as a symbol of foreign dominance. Italy had this small concession until 1943.

Tientsin Italian concession
On 7 September 1901, a concession in Tientsin (that consisted approximately of half a square kilometer - or 51.42 ha. ) was ceded to the Kingdom of Italy by the Qing Dynasty of China. On 7 June 1902, the concession was taken into Italian possession and administered by an Italian consul: the first was Cesare Poma and the last (in 1943) was Ferruccio Stefenelli. Along with other foreign concessions, the Italian concession lay on the Pei Ho, southeast of the city centre.

In 1917 China terminated the leases of Germany and Austria-Hungary concessions. The districts were converted into "Special Areas" with a separate administration from the rest of Tientsin. But Italy requested the Austrian concession after WWI: it was obtained only in June 1928 and soon returned to Chinese authorities, when the Second Special Area (the one of former Austrian concession) was in danger of war and occupation during the China civil war.

In 1935 the total population was 6,261, of which 5,725 Chinese and 536 foreigners including 392 Italians, according to historian Pistoiese. He even wrote that the concession in those years experienced huge improvements and assumed "the role of showcase of Italian art" with rich urban developments. As stated by Woodhead, in 1934 "The Italian concession ... was becoming the most popular centre for the palatial residences of retired Chinese militaries and politicians".

In the late 1930s the Italian concession of Tientsin and the consulates of Shanghai, Hankow and Beijing lived a quite peaceful period. Italian Tientsin enjoyed a small economic boom, fueled by rich chinese who moved to live in the Italian area escaping the japanese invasion of China. But WWII changed everything.

During World War II, the Italian concession in Tientsin had a garrison of approximately 600 Italian troops on the side of the Axis powers. On 10 September 1943, when Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, the concession was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Italian concession in the Shanghai International Settlement


After WWI the Kingdom of Italy maintained troops in an area of Shanghai, that was used as commercial concession inside the Shanghai International Settlement (S.I.S.). This settlement was wholly foreign-controlled, with staff of all nationalities, including British, Americans, Danes, Germans and Italians. In reality, the British held the largest number of seats on the Council and headed all the Municipal departments. The only department not chaired by a Briton was the "Municipal Orchestra", which was controlled by an Italian.

The International Settlement maintained its own fire-service, police force (the Shanghai Municipal Police), and even possessed its own military reserve in the Shanghai Volunteer Corps.

Following some disturbances at the British concession in Hankow in 1927, the defences at Shanghai were augmented by a permanent battalion of the British Army, which was referred to as the Shanghai Defence Force and a contingent of US Marines. Other armed forces would arrive in Shanghai: the French Concession had a defensive force of Annamite troops, the Italians also introduced their own marines, as did the Japanese (whose troops eventually outnumbered the other countries' many times over).

"In ‘Old Shanghai’, there were specific areas with a high concentration of Italian economic activities (in the International Settlement: Kiukiang Road; Kiangse Road; crossroads between Nanking Road and Szechuen Road; Bubbling Well Road), areas with Italian residences (French Concession), other suburban areas with Italians (Zikawei; in this case, they were priests). Moreover, Italians were involved in specific economic sectors (primarily, silk): as the textile sector was developed mainly in Lombardy at that time, most of the expatriate Italian managers and supervisors in Shanghai mills came from this Italian region.Stefano Piastra"

In the late 1930s was reinforced the military presence in the small area of Shanghai (that was next to the American concession and north of the French concession) controlled by the Italians. The Italian Navy stationed in the Shanghai port periodically some ships like the cruisers Trento and Montecuccoli during the Japanese invasion of China. In 1947 the Peace Treaty forced Italy to renounce to it with article 26, that stated: "(Italy) agrees to the reversion of the said Settlements (at Shanghai and Amoy) to the Administration and control of the Chinese Government".

Forts in Shan Hai Kuan & in Ta-Ku
From 1900 until the late 1930s, the Italians even held small forts like the Forte di Shan Hai Kuan near the Great Wall of China in Manchuria and the Forte nordoccidentale in Ta-Ku. The one in Ta-Ku (called "N.W fort of Ta-Ku") was held together with the British for a couple of years.

Commercial Concessions in Hankow and in Amoy
In Hankow since the 1900 was located an Italian consulate, that later was enlarged in order to have a small commercial concession.

Hankow was the center of catholic missions and had many Italian priests and nuns who were protected by Italian troops in the 1920s and early 1930s (in the late 1920s nearly 40% of the Italian civilians in China were religious personnel of the Roman Catholic Church ).

Another small commercial area under Italian control was in Amoy (Xiamen), after WWI. Amoy's european settlements (like the small Italian consulate) were concentrated on the islet of Gulangyu off the main island of actual Xiamen in the region of Hong Kong. Today, Gulangyu is known for colonial architecture, with some examples of the Italian one.

In the early 1930s only the small consulate of Hankow remained under Italian control.

After 1940
When started WWII Italy had only the Tientsin concession under direct control, while remained a garrison in the Shanghai international settlement, in the fort of Shan Hai Kuan and in the Legation of Peking.

In 1940 the soldiers of the Battaglione San Marco were stationed in the remaining areas controlled by Italy: nearly 200 were in Shanghai, 180 in Tientsin, 25 in Shan Hai Kuan and 15 in Peking. They were helped by the marines and sailors of the Italian Navy stationed in Tientsin.

After September 1943 -when Italy surrendered to the Allies- started a very difficult period for the Italians in China. Japanese forces took control of the Italian possessions in China, after some fightings (like in the legation of Peking, and with the scuttle in Shanghai port of the ships "Carlotto" and Caboto").

"Italy agrees to the cancellation of the Lease from the Chinese Government under which the Italian Concession at Tientsin was granted......Italy renounces in favor of China the rights accorded to Italy in relation to the International Settlements at Shanghai and Amoy, and agrees to the reversion of the said Settlements to the Administration and control of the Chinese Government. Articles 25 & 26 of 1947 Peace Treaty."

Finally, on 10 February 1947, by virtue of the peace treaty with Italy, all the Italian concessions and fortifications were formally ceded by Italy to Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China.