The energy consumption in China has accelerated since the early 2000s, and China became the largest energy consumer in the world by 2010. To examine the driving forces of China's energy use, this paper conducts a structural decomposition analysis based on hybrid input-output tables. In addition, we describe the framework of China's energy system by using two energy flow charts. The results show that China's current energy use is investment-led demand. Between 1992 and 2007, the three main final-demand categories - gross fixed capital formation, household consumption and exports - contributed approximately one-third each to the changes of total energy use in China. Between 2007 and 2010, however, three-quarters of energy consumption changes came from investment activity only. Technological improvement saved approximately five percent of the total energy use annually during the periods of 1992-1997, 1997-2002 and 2007-2010. In the period of 2002-2007, however, its contribution dropped to only three percent p.a. due to the rise of the indirect energy requirement coefficient in the construction sector. These results suggest that adjusting the final demand structure and improving energy efficiency further will meet China's energy challenges in the future. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.