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The diverse value of rural areas has been gradually highlighted, and promoting the sustainable development of rural areas with the theoretical guidance of rural multifunction is the key to realizing rural revitalization. This study defined the concept of rural multifunction from the perspective of resident’s demands and divided it into five main functions including rural agricultural production, nonagricultural production, living, ecological environment, and social security. By constructing the evaluation index system of rural multifunction, we analysed the spatial distribution characteristics of 160 villages of Jingjiang in Jiangsu Province. And functional combinations were identified to select targeted rural development paths oriented by balanced development of rural multifunction. The results showed the following. (1) The development of various rural functions in Jingjiang city was uneven, and agricultural production function still dominated. (2) The villages with strong agricultural production function were mainly concentrated in the northwest, while the villages with a high level of nonagricultural production function were mostly distributed in the industrial parks or around towns. There is still much room for improvement in social security function, especially in areas dominated by nonagricultural production. Nonagricultural production function had a negative effect on the ecological environment function, which is contrary to the agricultural production function. (3) Balanced development rather than equal development of rural functions should be pursued to achieve multifunctionality. Scientific guidance for the functional growth of villages in Jingjiang city and theoretical support for the microscale evaluation of rural multifunction and its application were provided by the research results.

In the context of the transition from “Native-rural China” to “Urban-rural China”, suburban villages have undergone rapid reconstruction of format, industry, and function. Aiming to reveal the evolution characteristics and driving forces, this study selected She Village, located in suburban areas of Nanjing, to analyze the changes of both dominant and recessive morphology of land use by employing participatory rural appraisal, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. The results showed that She Village witnessed three stages, including industrial development, ecological restoration, and service industry development, from 1980 to 2018, with more diversified management modes, multifunctional land use, and intensified land fragmentation. The drivers included natural resources, population growth, policy of Grain for Green, urban market demand, etc., the intensity of which showed trends of “increase–increase–increase”, “increase–decrease–decrease”, “periodically intermittent”, and “increase–decrease–increase” in turn. The tourist villages undergo three stages of industrial development, agricultural development, and service industry development, with periodical characteristics driven by top-down policies, the endogenous force of the village, and the radiation and diffusion of the city. This research deepens the understanding of the development process of suburban villages and provides a reference for land policy making and planning in other similar villages.