The study looked at changes in rural land use in China from 1996 to 2016. They found that there was a decrease in cultivated land and an increase in rural residential land, showing an inadequate transition in the rural land use system. The types of land transition changed over time, but the main pattern was a negative link between cultivated land and rural residential land. The southeastern part of China showed active land use transition, making it a priority for future rural land consolidation efforts. The study suggests that rural land consolidation should follow the rules of land use transition and promote a balanced evolution of the rural land use system.