Abstract: The “Belt and Road” initiative was selected as a case of opening-up practice to explore the interaction between it and the strategy of rural revitalization. Using the provincial panel data from 2010 to 2021, the PSM-DID method was adopted to empirically identify the impact of the “Belt and Road” on the economic development, poverty reduction effectiveness and rural residents' income of the regions along the route. The results showed that the “Belt and Road” led to economic growth and increased farmers' income in the regions along the route, reduced the poverty rate, and had a significant positive driving effect on rural revitalization. The effect gradually strengthened over time. From the perspective of regional differences, the “Belt and Road” initiative played a more significant role in the western region than in the coastal region, especially the driving poverty alleviation in minority areas. In addition, it was found that the opening of the China-Europe train could promote the economic growth of the regions along the route, but the effect of increasing farmers' income had regional heterogeneity and was not significant in some areas. Based on the “Five-Pronged Approach” model, it was further found that the transmission path of the “Belt and Road” in promoting rural revitalization was mainly realized through industrial optimization and improving the level of foreign trade, while the role of financial support and policy response paths was relatively weak. Finally, policy suggestions for the effective connection between the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the strategy of rural revitalization were put forward.

Key words: opening-up, the “Belt and Road”, rural revitalization, “Five-Pronged Approach”