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Heritage Conservation, Gentrification, and Heritagisation in China: a comparison of Langzhong against the classic case of Lijiang Giorgia Mascaro (25143284) Heritagisation thesis Gentrification Heritage Conservation Urban Regeneration UNESCO World Heritage Comparative Urban Studies China Urban Development <p dir="ltr">Previous research in China has shown heritage conservation to be increasingly used as a strategy to promote the regeneration of historic areas and to cause gentrification-induced negative social impacts. Given the recent upsurge of conservation projects across the country, ‘travelling’ from the urban to the rural, in this thesis I look at heritagisation as a process of gentrification and at its (un)intended outcomes. I do so by deploying a relational comparative approach to analyse the process of ‘Old Town’ heritagisation in two Chinese cities: Lijiang (Yunnan) and Langzhong (Sichuan). Through this, I highlight the uneven and variegated forms that gentrification takes in the Chinese context, as well as the ways in which cities influence one another as development exemplars.</p><p dir="ltr">As a ‘classic case’ of old town conservation, Lijiang has become a lens through which other cities can learn about the process of conservation and the heritagisation of old towns in China. By looking at the influence of Lijiang on Langzhong, this thesis uncovers both the generalities and the variegated socio-economic, historical, and political dynamics that underpin heritagisation processes in China. Going beyond narratives of success and failure, it shows how even if embedded within the same national context, territorial, economic, and socio-cultural contingences have inevitably shaped the heritagisation process – underlining the complexities of ‘replicating’ heritagisation models from one city to another. I argue that UNESCO recognition, or the lack of, plays an important role, especially due to its ability to facilitate circulations of capital. Overall, responding to calls for more comparative research in gentrification studies, this thesis focuses on both the temporality and contextuality of gentrification processes, showing how different historical and socio-spatial contexts produce divergent processes. This leads to an array of contradictory impacts in terms of investment, tourism, and urban development, which have repercussions for the everyday lives of residents who are ultimately left to cope with the transformation of their urban spaces.</p> 2026-10-01T08:33:52Z Text Thesis 10.25392/leicester.data.34031430.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Heritage_Conservation_Gentrification_and_Heritagisation_in_China_a_comparison_of_Langzhong_against_the_classic_case_of_Lijiang/34031430 All Rights Reserved