China's Ministry of Natural Resources recently announced that from 2021 to 2024, the area of construction land used per unit of GDP—referred to as "land use intensity"—fell by 15.97 percent nationwide, achieving the target set in the 14th Five-Year Plan a year ahead of schedule.
A drone photo taken on May 15, 2025 shows harvesters working at the "Tianfu granary" core demonstration zone in Chongzhou, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo: Xinhua)
What does this decline actually signify? Land use intensity is closely linked to both the level of economic development and the efficiency of land utilization. A 15.97 percent decrease reflects not only China's continuing decoupling of economic growth from land consumption, but also the fundamental transformation underway in the country's growth model and development drivers.
A Shift in Development Philosophy
In the past, some regions pursued extensive expansion by continuously adding new projects and enlarging physical footprints. But given China's fundamental realities—large population, limited arable land, and tightening resource constraints—future development must move beyond land-intensive models. Instead, it calls for a more efficient and coordinated use of both incremental and existing land resources.
The 15.97 percent drop in land use intensity is the result of a series of strategic initiatives, such as implementing a comprehensive conservation strategy and revitalizing underutilized land. Much of this idle land lies in fully developed urban areas with mature infrastructure. Repurposing such land is not only more cost-effective than expanding into new areas, but also significantly shortens the time and lowers the cost of project development. Cities that take the lead in unlocking these dormant resources are gaining valuable space for high-quality growth.
An aerial drone photo taken on March 19, 2025 shows drones working at a canola field in Shangbai Village, Deqing County of east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo: Xinhua)
Encouragingly, this approach—seeking development from stock resources and emphasizing quality over quantity—is becoming a shared mindset across the country.
Renewal of Growth Drivers
Revitalizing stock resources is not just about swapping one use for another—it sparks a chain reaction across people, land, industry, and urban development. The goal is to foster fertile ground for new quality productive forces and infuse the economy with fresh momentum.
Take the example of a smart apparel manufacturing industrial park in Shishi, Quanzhou, East China's Fujian Province. Before its transformation, the area suffered from mixed zoning and scattered layouts, making industrial upgrades difficult. Through collaboration between state-owned and private enterprises, the old park was upgraded. Upstream and downstream businesses now operate under one roof, forming a complete industrial chain. Traditional apparel manufacturing is now integrated with smart production and e-commerce, allowing new quality productive forces to take root and flourish.
And this is not an isolated case. Since September 2023, the Ministry of Natural Resources has launched pilot projects for redeveloping inefficient land across 43 cities in 15 provinces and municipalities, offering planning, financial, and policy support to encourage bold experimentation. As of June 2025, over 1.7 million mu (roughly 113,000 hectares) of land had been redeveloped in these pilot areas.
Thanks to these revitalization efforts, idle plots are turning into high-value assets. As new quality productive forces grow, industrial structures evolve, overall efficiency improves, and industrial value added increases, China's economy is gaining new strength and vitality.
A Boost to People's Wellbeing
In densely populated urban cores, how can governments address the shortage of public services and meet people's rising expectations for a better life? Xiangyang Village in Wuhan's Hanyang district offers a compelling answer.
Once a typical "urban village," it transformed a long-idle plot of collective industrial land into a thriving education park through private investment. The new facility now serves over 2,000 students—improving local access to quality education while generating stable, long-term income for the village collective. It's a win-win for both economic and social development.
Wuhan is not alone. In Zigui county, Hubei Province, idle rural land has been reallocated to support rural vitalization. In Tianjin and Hebei's Tangshan, idle land has been repurposed for the preservation of historical and cultural heritage. The stories of land are, in essence, stories of development—and of people. In the end, the true measure of land revitalization is not just in economic data, but in the smiles of the people it benefits.
Agricultural researchers work at Yazhou Bay in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 10, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua)
As an ancient Chinese saying goes, "Land is the foundation of all things and the source of life." The reduction in land consumption reflects progress on multiple fronts—from industrial upgrades to improved public services. By promoting efficient and economical land use, China is steadily lowering land intensity while enhancing the quality of urban and rural spaces and increasing the value of its land resources. With such measures, the path to high-quality development is growing ever more solid and sustainable.