Italian Barracks

Italian Barracks

The Italian Barracks is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin.

Address: Intersection of Minzu Road and Guangming Avenue, Hebei District, Tianjin

Category: Important Modern Historical Site and Representative Architecture

After the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty), Italy stationed a mixed brigade of troops in China, commanding a total of 999 officers and soldiers, most of whom were based in Tianjin. In the 5th year of the Republic of China (1916), a large-scale barracks was constructed on Xiaoma Road (now Guangming Avenue) within the Italian Concession. After liberation, it served as the quarters for the People’s Liberation Army, later becoming the headquarters of the Independent Division of the Tianjin Garrison Command of the PLA, and is now the administrative site of the First Detachment of the Tianjin Corps of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

The Italian Barracks faces south and originally extended from Shuixi Village Restaurant in the east to Minzu Road in the west, and from Jianguo Avenue in the north to Guangming Avenue in the south. The current main building has four floors, the east wing also has four floors, the west wing has three floors, and there are several single-story structures at the Guangming Avenue entrance, covering a total area of 4,206 square meters.

The Italian Barracks is a typical example of Italian architecture in Tianjin. It is grand in scale and Π-shaped. This three-story brick-and-wood Italian-style structure is the only one of its kind in China that remains completely preserved.

The construction of the barracks reflects a century of Tianjin’s modern history and stands as ironclad evidence of the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance, serving as a historical testament for educating future generations.