Italian Style Town, Tianjin: A Walk Through the Old Concession
Italian Style Town, officially the Yigong Garden Historic and Cultural Block, is the restored former Italian concession on the north bank of the Haihe in Tianjin's Hebei District, a short walk west of Tianjin Railway Station. The streets and squares are free to walk at any hour; a few former residences and museums inside charge small entry fees. Plan two to three hours from late afternoon into dark, when the facades are lit, and finish on the riverbank. Jianguodao station on Metro Line 2 is on its edge, and high-speed trains from Beijing arrive at Tianjin Station a few minutes away. For the rest of the city, see the Tianjin travel guide.
What the concession was
Italy received a concession in Tianjin after the Boxer war, and on 7 June 1902 took control of an area of 771 mu, about 46 hectares, between the Austro-Hungarian and Russian concessions, facing the French and Japanese concessions across the river. The first consul had marshland filled with mud dredged from the Haihe, laid drains, and planned a district of garden villas with a club, a park, a market and a police station. The main avenue, now Jianguo Road, became the first asphalt road in Tianjin. In 1911 the concession had 251 Italian and 5,348 Chinese residents, and after 1912 many retired politicians and wealthy families moved in. China took the area back after the Second World War.
The villas were later divided among offices and households. Restoration began in 2002, finished its first phase in 2005, and the area opened to tourists in 2008; it now holds a national 4A rating. Treat it as restored heritage with a commercial layer: many buildings are original, the paving and lighting are new, and ground floors are cafes, restaurants and shops.
A walking route
The street names changed, but the plan did not, and it is compact enough to walk in an hour without hurrying.
- Start at Jianguodao station or walk in from Tianjin Station along Jianguo Road, the old main avenue.
- Turn onto Minzu Road, formerly Marco Polo Road, and walk to Marco Polo Square, the centre of the district, with its tall column. This is where most photos are taken.
- Continue along Ziyou Road, formerly Dante Road, to Dante Square.
- Loop back through the side streets, Minsheng Road (once Florence Road) and Guangfu Road among them, where the villas are less commercial and the crowds thinner.
- Finish at the river, near the Haihe Music Park and Bei'an Bridge, for the lights on the water.
Look up rather than at the shopfronts. Corner towers, loggias and balconies on the upper floors are where the original architecture shows. Several Chinese films, including The Message, used these streets as sets.
Houses you can enter
Some former residences of notable people now open as small museums, among them the memorial in the former home of the reformer Liang Qichao on Minzu Road. Hours and fees are set by each house, closures on Mondays are common, and the details change; check the sign at each door or the city tourism listings on the day. You can enjoy the district fully without going inside any of them.
When to go
Late afternoon into evening is the best time. The light softens on the plaster around 16:00 to 17:00 in autumn, the lights come on at dusk, and the squares fill with people eating and strolling. Midday in summer is hot and flat. Weekday afternoons are calmer than weekends; on holiday evenings the squares are packed by 19:00. Winter evenings are cold and clear, good for photos if you dress for the wind off the river.
Food
Restaurants in the district lean toward Western food, beer halls and dessert cafes, at prices well above the city average. They are fine for a drink or ice cream in a square. For Tianjin food, such as jianbing guozi for breakfast, goubuli-style steamed buns, or fried dough twists, you will do better in ordinary neighbourhoods or around the Ancient Culture Street across the river. A reasonable plan is a drink here at sunset and dinner elsewhere.
Getting there
- Metro: Line 2 to Jianguodao. Tianjin Station, on Lines 2, 3 and 9, is also within walking distance.
- Rail: intercity trains from Beijing South reach Tianjin Station in about half an hour, so a late-afternoon arrival can go straight here.
- Boat: the Haihe cruise has a pier near Bei'an Bridge at the river edge of the district, so you can walk the streets and then board from here in the evening.
- Taxi: ask for 意式风情区 (Yishi Fengqingqu).
Pairing it with the river
The town and the Haihe River make one evening: streets at dusk, then the riverbank or a night cruise. The Tianjin Eye is a short ride upstream at the river confluence; ride it at dusk on a different evening, or frame it from Jingang Bridge on the walk. If you also want the British-concession villas of Wudadao, give them a separate morning; they are on the south side of the city centre and feel quite different.
Who should skip it
If you only have a day trip from Beijing and want Chinese history, the Ancient Culture Street and the old city may suit you better. If you have seen European streetscapes at home and want something unfamiliar, the restored district can feel like a stage set. But for understanding Tianjin's treaty-port past, it is the easiest place to start, and it is free.