This paper divides the rural planning theories in China into three stages, that is, traditional city-rural interaction (before the founding of the PRC), modern city-rural separation (after the founding of the PRC–2016), and new-era city-rural integration (2017–), and summarizes the characteristics of theories in different stages. Chinese traditional rural planning theories include geomantic theory-based physical planning theory, and human culture-oriented management ideas and methods; these two parts complement each other. After China’s Reform and Opening Up in 1978, urban planning theory has been employed in rural planning. The contemporary rural planning theory develops under the background of city-rural integration and carries out with a simplified rural administrative licensing system. In recent years, rural planning begins to transform and combine with multidisciplinary theories, thus to explore the origin of developmental.