This research focuses on the revival of Mahayana Buddhist communities in contemporary Shanghai under the state-planned urbanization since two decades ago. The comparative study uses the “ecological model,” acknowledges the debates on religious ecology and the theories on gentrification in Chinese and American scholarship. The research has aimed to provide new insights into the dynamic reconfiguration of a diverse Buddhist revival under the condition of urbanization in Shanghai. Gentrification is a shift in an urban community toward wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values.

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The project is funded by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council (2015-2018).