租界

noun

foreign concession; leased territory; an area in a treaty port city leased to imperialist powers by semi-colonial countries under duress to serve as a base for aggression

Historical term referring to areas in Chinese treaty ports (e.g., Shanghai, Tianjin, Hankou) from the 1840s to 1940s where foreign powers exercised extraterritorial rights. Also applicable to similar areas in other semi-colonial nations.