In order to understand the HJ-1 satellite image application potential in the land use field，the authors studied image quality through analyzing visual quality，spectral characteristics，noise features and geometry correction precision. The image land use classification precision was investigated through selecting characteristic variables，optimizing training samples，establishing classification templates and constructing Maximum Likelihood, Minimum Distance and Mahalanobis Distance so as to make land use classification and evaluate the classification precision．The results show that the HJ-1 satellite image quality is satisfactory and the land use classification precision is high. The image can become the main data source for remote sensing data renewal in land use research．