The study analyzed changes in land use types in Shanghuang small watershed in China over 30 years using satellite imagery and geographic information systems. The findings show that arable land initially increased, then decreased sharply, while woodland areas grew and grassland areas shrank. Currently, the distribution of land use across different slopes is more balanced, reflecting better resource allocation. A small portion of land still needs to be converted to forest or grassland, but this task is almost complete in the watershed.