Albert Welter is Professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. He is currently leading a project funded by the Khyentse Foundation on Buddhist Culture in the Hangzhou Region of China and its impact throughout East Asia.
An eye-opening investigation of the multiple layers embedded in the construction and reconstruction of two of the most renowned pieces of religious architecture in East Asia. The narrative is engaging and revealing, bringing to light and relief a plethora of long-obscured elements of critical significance to medieval Chinese sociopolitical and religious history. Yet another tour de force by a dynamic historian of East Asian Buddhism and a must-read for all scholars from different fields of Asian History. * Jinhua Chen, Professor of East Asian History, University of British Columbia * A Tale of Two Stūpas highlights the politics of suppression and revival of Buddhism in the Hangzhou region in which secular power mingles with sacred space. The author's admirable research guides the reader through the fascinating interactions of religion, national identity, modernity, and economic intervention as well as the rich history of two stupas in Hangzhou, opening up a new horizon in understanding Chinese Buddhism through regional identity. * Jin Y. Park, Professor and Department Chair of Philosophy and Religion, American University *