What The New Wave of 'Land Kings' Reveal About the Economy

China's land market saw a jump in sales in the first half of this year, boosted by a new wave of "land kings," a reference to a plot sold for a record price per unit. A closer look at these eye-popping deals will shed light on fault lines emerging in China's land market and economy.

China has seen land kings emerge in waves over the past several years. A search on Google and Baidu show that record-setting land deals spiked in 2016, 2013 and 2009.