Abstract: Achieving effective governance in the countryside is an important part of rural revitalisation. Based on the perspective of 'institution and life', this paper comprehends the three major stages of historical evolution of rural shared space governance, and establishes an analytical framework for the governance of rural shared space under the perspective. Furthermore, this study investigates the interaction between institutional frameworks and daily operations in rural shared spaces. It reveals that the town government, as the institutional entity, establishes institutional structures through special funds. Village committees, serving as grassroots institutional entities, undertake the function of policy localization by coordinating and integrating standardized construction indicators with villagers' actual needs. Meanwhile, the expansion of material spaces by residents in turn influences institutional evolution. Based on this, we propose the following governance paths for rural shared space: Firstly, the institutional subject should build a platform for dialogue and consultation to promote the benign operation of shared space; Secondly, the living body should build a governance mechanism that stimulates the 'social logic' and 'commercial logic' behind rural vitality, so as to further stimulate the positive development of rural shared space; Thirdly, the third party should flexibly change its role based on the characteristics of different stages of rural planning.