To protect the land resources, the State Council established China National Land Day June 25, 1991. This year is the 20th anniversary, and the theme chosen by the Ministry of Land and Resources is "Change developing models- legally and intensively use land."

China has verified some 130 million hectares of arable land. Available farmland in China decreases every year as more land is taken for development. According to People's Daily, last year 576,000 hectares of farmland were claimed for construction and other non-farming purposes, which is a 44 percent increase from the previous year.

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