The rural governance is an important problem in the modernization of China, relating to the farmers'daily life and destiny, deciding the rural organization and administration on public matter and rural mobilization and coordination on public resources, and being relative to the state's stability, so it can not be avoided by academic circles. In ancient society, the countryside,agriculture and farmer was not a conspicuous social and politics question, with the contemporary civilized emergence, especially the start of the modernization of China lashed by the western industrial civilization, the problems become visible. After 1949, although Chinese society appears a lot of revolutionary changes, the countryside, agriculture and farmers are not solved. Therefore the present rural governance situation is a result that the traditional stockpiles and the modern development apply to both cases, it is important to study Chinese rural governance in social historical changes.We believe the state, the Elite and farmers have always been the mainstay of rural governance in the evolution of rural society from traditionalism to modernization, their relationship determines the rural governance model and performance. For this reason, the thesis applies to the relationship between the state, the Elite and farmers as a framework to analyze the rural governance of traditional society; the rural governance of modern society; the rural governance in the collectivization period; the rural governance after the reform and open, form four rural governance models: autocracy---self– determination model; dictatorship---deprivation model; centralization of power---political movement model and local government politics---villagers'autonomy, and describe their qualitatively different merits. After the previous four models of rural governance are compared, we have reached two conclusions: the rural stabilization is determined by the distribution of the state power, the authoritative basis of the rural Elite and the logic of the farmers'act; the rural economic development is determined by the operational targets of the state of power, the Elite's nature and moral character.The thesis is composed of the introduction, the main body and the conclusion and divided by six chapters.Chapter 1: (i) Explaining some of major topics of the background and significance and giving a review and appraisal; (ii) Briefly introducing several research methods, bringing up the targets . Chapter 2: making the inspection and analysis on the traditional rural governance.(i) Centralized autocratic monarchy is the traditional social basis points of rural governance.(ii) National rural autocratic governance is culture nexus of power and system nexus of power system.(iii) Rural Elite is the person owning national politics and rural authoritative abilities.(iv) Small-brewed modes of production lead to small groups of rural autonomy representation.(v)The model of rural governance in traditional society is autocracy---self-determination. (vi) Rural community shows stagnation and stability.Chapter 3:Investigating and analyzing the modern rural governance in modern times.(i) Rural crisis and the construction of the national state are the background of modern rural governance in modern times.(ii) The local self-autonomy leads to a state involution.(iii) Qualitative changes have taken place in rural Elites.(iv) The farmers displaced.(v) The model of modern rural governance is dictatorship.(vi)The rural society had declined.Chapter 4:Inspecting and analyzing the rural governance is in the collectivization period.(i) Having changed the farmer country concept rooting the land reform and rural power construction.(ii) The rural society has been more strongly centralized after collectivization political movements.(iii)The state has homologized the rural Elites.(iv)The farmers depended firmly on the organization. (v)During the collectivization, the model of rural governance is the centralism ---political movement.(vi)The feature in this period is that the rural order can be controlled and the economic growth can not be planned.Chapter 5:Inspecting and analyzing the rural governance after the reform and open. (i)The base of the governance is the rural economic activities as farmers pleases and the changes of local governance structure.(ii)The local government has strong characteristics of the power under the pressure.(iii)The rural cadres are in the power conflict between multiple roles, their authorities are gradually dispelled. (iv)The autonomy is being enhanced,but more by itself. (v)The model of rural governance after the reform and open islocal government politics --- villagers'autonomy. (vi)Rural contradiction are endless, the total economy is increasing by phases.Chapter 6:After the previous four models of rural governance are compared, we have reached a basic conclusion:the relationship between state,rural Elite and farmers formed the model of rural governance in the political and economic power of rural community. Among the rest, the distribution and operational targets of state power decide the governance result, playing a direct role in the governance of the decision ;the rural Elite and the peasants are not entirely in the dependency stand,rationalmakes them extend the powers of the state or even exceed the state's regulatory system. Once the government relaxes the control of rural society,villagers'autonomy will grow and develop. Thus , the state , rural Elite, the peasants are the three elements in rural governance. The best model of rural governance in the future will be alimitedly guiding ---cooperation model.