As the most important resource for life, water has been a central issue on the international agenda for several decades. However, water pollution is a major environmental problem worldwide, especially in developing countries, the world's supply of clean fresh water is steadily decreasing due to extensive agricultural demand for land. In this study, various long-term data analysis (such as water quality, sewage treatment plants, pollutant discharge, etc.) was undertaken to systematically understand the process of water pollution control in China in the past 20 years. The results highlighted that China's wastewater collection and treatment capacity approached the level of developed countries, with treatment rates exceeding 90% in both urban and country areas. The environmental quality of surface water has been constantly improved, but water pollution problems remain in eastern China's river basins, with remarkable economic progress. Rapid economic growth, not population growth, was the limeting factor in water pollution control in China. Therefore, water resources must be used more efficiently, and the use of non-conventional water resources, such as treated wastewater (TW) must be increased. TW reuse can be an alternative option to increase water resources. Thus, many countries have decided to convert wastewater into a resource for irrigation to help meet urban demand and address water shortages. However, due to the nature of that water, there are potential problems associated with its use for agriculture. The objectives of this comprehensive literature review are to highlight the characteristics of treated wastewater used in agriculture in China. To minimize these unfavorable effects when TW is used for irrigation, appropriate guidelines for wastewater reuse and management should be followed to reduce negative impacts significantly.
Key words: