Objective/Meaning  The study aimed to solve the problems of inter-village differentiation, lagging governance and insufficient factors of rural collective economy in “large-city, small-rural” area under the rapid urbanization, reveal the mechanism and path of development difference, and provide a reference and replicable paradigm for the development of rural collective economy and urban-rural integration in the suburbs of large cities in the southeast coast.

Methods/Procedures  By taking Tong’an District of Xiamen City as an example, based on the theory of institutional change and property rights, an analytical framework of “dynamic mechanism-governance structure” was constructed, and then the case, comparative and inductive methods were adopted. Combined with the data of 111 villages and communities from 2004 to 2024, as well as property rights reform, “three-capital” supervision and field research, a comparative and mechanism analysis was conducted for the three types of villages.

Results/Conclusions The research showed that the clarity of property rights, governance structure, availability of factors, and resource endowments jointly determined the performance of collective economic development. Tong’an District has realized the improvement of collective economy and the full coverage of operating income of weak villages through property right reform, political and economic separation, classified policy implementation, collaborative development, and strict supervision, providing theoretical references and practical models for similar regions.