Abstract: As the internal practice mechanism of political order at the grass-roots level， village governance by the rich is a common phenomenon of grass-roots governance. Based on the social structure of the clan-based village， the Pearl River Delta region has formed a type of feedback-oriented village governed by the rich. Village governance by the rich arises from the structural demand that the order of the village is difficult to maintain， and shows strong feedback characteristics. The driving force of village governance by the rich lies in gaining the recognition from the masses and thus realizing the meaning and value of life by “giving back” to the village. The strong social connection of the village and the abundant collective economy jointly maintain the public nature of village governance by the rich and avoid the alienation of village governance. Village governance by the rich has remolded the grass-roots political ecology through the integration of the elite， the integration of the organizational structure and the activation of Party members， and shaped the stability of grass-roots order and village political integration. In the Pearl River Delta region， village governance by the rich has important enlightening significance for understanding the formation of grass-roots order.

Key words: village governance by the rich; elite governance; village public nature