The fountain in the French Concession

M. Montigny, the first Consul for France at Shanghai, entered into an agreement with Ling Taotai, the senior local Chinese official, on April 6th, 1849, for the establishment and government of a French Concession. In the beginning it appeared likely that the settlements would be run as one administrative unit. But the French finally decided to set up a separate municipal government. The French Consul had signed the 1854 Land Regulations, but they felt they were not bound by the regulations as they were never ratified by the French Government. So on May 13th, the Municipal Council of the Concession Francaise was formed. It differed from the English Municipal Council in that all its decisions were subject to the approval or veto of the French Consul. As most of the foreign trade of Shanghai was carried on through the British Settlement, the French Concession found it difficult to raise revenues.