The concept of bottomline thinking was introduced into the study of rural planning to provide ideas and references for innovating the theory and method of rural planning,further to ensure the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy,guide the modernization of agriculture and rural development,and scientifically formulate various plans for rural areas. The characteristics and problems of countryside and rural planning in China were analyzed. The necessity of formulating rural planning based on bottomline thinking was clarified. The concept and level of bottomline thinking was briefly described. The bottomline goal and standard of rural planning was determined. The implementation strategy of bottomline thinking in rural planning was explored with cases analysis. The results showed that the countryside was the stabilizer and reservoir of modernization in China. The poor and weak foundation and lagging development of the rural areas has not been fundamentally changed. Planning guidelines are urgently needed in terms of industrial development,space utilization,rural construction,and rural governance. Traditional rural planning is deficient in coordination,implementation and restraint,with the main manifestations including insufficient understanding of the objective laws of rural development,inaccurate grasp of basic functions,weak spatial overall planning and control,being difficult to guide and drive rural selfdevelopment and insufficient to meet the dynamic and complex development needs of rural areas. It is proposed that planning methods and strategies based on the bottomline thinking including following the laws of rural development,releasing the basic functions of the village,meeting the national strategic requirements,conforming to the agricultural and rural policy direction,guiding the village to stick to the bottom line of space,and activating the endogenous power of the village can be used to solve the problem of rural development. The results showed that applying the bottomline thinking in rural planning can help to find and solve rural problems,improve the scientific basis of rural planning,and promote the innovation of theories and methods for rural planning.