This paper examined the land use change (LUC) and sustainability index of major Chinese cities to develop a model for implementing more efficient land use and sustainable urban development (SUD) practices in China. The authors show that substantial LUC occurred across 29 Chinese cities during the 1990-2000 period. In particular, cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area, and the Pearl River Delta underwent considerable LUC while achieving efficient land use. Characterization of the different LUC patterns of these cities revealed that land use efficiency differed between cities. The components of sustainability, including socio-economic, environmental and resource use indexes, were also clarified. Factors such as socio-economic development had the effect of increasing the sustainability scores of coastal cities relative to the scores of northern and industrial cities further inland. Regression analysis revealed which factors had the greatest effect on the level of environmental index. The results showed that industrial activities, population trends, and the pattern of land use all significantly affect the environmental component and SUD of cities. Finally, the network of cities in the YRD and a land use model in which cities undertake resource endowments, including land for improving SUD, was discussed.