Abstract: This paper deals with the roles of the Foreigners and the Chinese in the creation and the management of the water supply in Tianjin.The water distribution network did at the very beginning of the water supply activity replicate the spatial and political divisions of the city.At that time, there were two water companies and each settlement had its own network.Over time, the city network was gradually united, as many settlements were handed back to the Chinese municipality and as one company became the main supplier of the city.This paper will explain how the water supply, a public utility created (imported) and run by Foreigners, became, little by little, a Chinese run utility by the time of the communist takeover.How did the Chinese succeed in acquiring control over the activity, the waterworks, the general water policy and the technology used? I will analyze this process through the different roles played by the political, social and economical groups and people living in Tianjin at the time.I will also show the way spatial characteristics influenced the global evolution of the distribution network and the companies’ activity.