<p>This article develops a multi-scalar political perspective on the deployment trajectory of agrivoltaics in China, featured by a brief yet pronounced “emergence–boom–decline” cycle. Based on extensive secondary research and fieldwork from multiple case studies, the paper demonstrates that the deployment of agrivoltaics in China exhibits distinct politically directed characteristics. These include: (1) exceptionally large-scale projects initiated by energy corporations and local governments, reflecting a political selection of technological models; (2) an aggressive deployment process accompanied by widespread land-related social conflicts, highlighting a politically driven implementation approach; and (3) intensive policy launching and the eventual suspension of new agrivoltaic projects on farmland through stringent top-down political interventions. The paper argues that these politically directed dynamics are rooted in the complex interplay of multi-scalar political forces within China’s fragmented authoritarianism structure. It highlights three interactive dimensions of this political complexity: central state policies and expectations on agrivoltaics; enforcement strategies from local implementers; and social resistance. A key issue in these interactions is farmland regulation and encroachment. The case of agrivoltaics in China reveals that politically driven deployment of renewable socio-technical models introduces distinct dynamics that tend to bypass conventional social acceptance processes. While such political dynamics may accelerate deployment, they nonetheless risk generating significant social injustices during implementation and jeopardizing the entire socio-technical model.</p>