The oligarchic village is the extreme form of the failure of the grass-roots democracy,and the analysis of the formation mechanism of the oligarchical village helps to grasp the difficulties in the construction of grassroots democracy.On the social basis of clan differentiation and institutional framework of open elections,the personal relationship connected by kinship is politicalized in elites’ power game to become the political support of elites.The formation of the oligarchic village is as follows.The oligarch,the most capable man in the village,expands his private asylum relationship to reinforce his power.In this premise,the public relationship becomes privatized,which could be found in the interest division and village governance; the public institution is absorbed by individual autonomy; the privatized public relationship helps to strengthen the private asylum relationship in return.In the real governance,there is no border between the public and the private; thus the only ruler is how forceful the cadres’ asylum relationship is.