In the context of China’s rural revitalization strategy, rural reading has emerged as an increasingly vital cultural practice that transcends traditional knowledge dissemination to become a multidimensional mechanism for cultural inheritance, grassroots governance, and rural economic development. This study constructs a comprehensive analytical framework — Culture–Governance–Economy — to explore how rural reading activities function as embedded cultural mechanisms within local communities, and contribute to developing sustainable rural cultural ecosystems. Employing a qualitative, multi-case research design, this study draws on representative cases from Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Hunan, and other provinces. Through policy document analysis, media report extraction, and case-based interpretation, it explores the institutional logic, implementation practices, and governance functions of rural reading. The research reveals that reading activities have evolved into symbolic and participatory platforms that integrate community identity-building, knowledge empowerment, and cultural mobilization. The findings revealthat rural reading generates significant impacts across three dimensions. In the cultural dimension, reading activates local resources including oral traditions, village chronicles, revolutionary histories, and intangible heritage, fostering spiritual consensus and reinforcing the symbolic order of rural life. In the governance dimension, rural reading spaces, such as farmhouse libraries, “reading corners, ” and village culture halls, serve as low-threshold arenas for deliberation and social negotiation, enabling villagers to engage in value coordination, policy interpretation, and participatory governance. In the economic dimension, reading practices are increasingly embedded in rural industrial chains, supporting cultural-tourism integration, creative branding, and the transformation of cultural capital into economic value. To enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of rural reading practices, this study proposes a four-dimensional optimization framework. First, structural embedding entails institutionalizing rural reading as a core component of public cultural service systems and broader rural revitalization strategies. Second, institutional support emphasizes the establishment of multi-actor collaboration involving village cadres, young officials, respected local leaders (xiangxian), and social organizations, thereby forming a stable and coordinated operational network. Third, urban–rural coordination focuses on developing resource-sharing mechanisms and facilitating bidirectional knowledge flows between urban and rural cultural infrastructures to address structural disparities. Finally, subject-oriented responsiveness calls for tailoring reading services to the diverse needs of rural populations, including the elderly, youth, women, and left-behind children, by conducting participatory needs assessments and designing culturally relevant, localized reading content. These four dimensions collectively aim to construct an embedded, adaptive, and sustainable rural reading service system. In conclusion, rural reading has evolved from a peripheral cultural initiative into a strategic instrument for cultivating community cohesion, enhancing governance capacity, and fostering culturally driven development. This study advances the theoretical understanding of rural cultural empowerment and offers practical recommendations for transforming reading practices into institutionalized, participatory, and development-oriented mechanisms within the broader agenda of rural revitalization in China.