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Land system reform is inseparable from land policy evolution in the reform process. Understanding land system reform from the perspective of policy evolution is crucial for the further deepening of the reform. Based on a review of policy documents on urban land system reform over the past 70 years (1949–2021), this paper applies a policy analysis framework based on punctuated-equilibrium theory to analyze the process of China’s urban land system reform and its inner mechanism. We conclude that under the framework of punctuated-equilibrium theory, the reform process of the urban land system can be divided into three equilibrium periods and two punctuated periods: Equilibrium Period I (1949–1978), Punctuated Period I (1979–1990), Equilibrium Period II (1991–2000), Punctuated Period II (2001–2007), and Equilibrium Period III (2008–2021). The reform of China’s urban land system shows a non-linear change that alternates between gradual change and punctuated evolution. Further analysis demonstrates that the change of the policy image, the transfer of the policy venue and the shock of focus events are the vital driving factors resulting in the alternation between equilibrium and punctuation.
