Land use in rural China changed significantly from 1995 to 2015. Cultivated land increased in the northeast and northwest, while built-up areas expanded in certain regions like the Yangtze River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. Most built-up land came from converting cultivated land. Some areas, like the Loess Plateau and Sichuan Basin, saw a serious decline in arable land. The reasons for these changes varied by location and time. Economic development drove built-up area growth, while geography played a big role in changing cultivated, forest, and grassland. Population and economic growth influenced built-up land expansion, while terrain affected the conversion of cultivated land to forest land. These findings can help policymakers make sustainable land use decisions in the future.