Abstract: Rural settlement geography is an important field of rural geography research, and rural reconstruction is the new content of rural settlement geography research. The paper tries to enrich the theory and practice of rural geography through the concept, characteristics and mechanism of rural settlement space reconstruction. The main research conclusions are as follows: 1) The dynamic mechanism of Southern Jiangsu rural settlement space reconstruction is under the common function of different factors, such as the country self-renewal and external factors. In different stages of transformation, the spatial patterns and the mechanism of rural settlements are different. On that basis, the paper has constructed dynamic mechanism of the rural settlement space reconstruction, and clarified the dominant forces and spatial morphological characteristics in various stages. In the context of urbanization, various internal and external factors affect the rural settlement space reconstructing, causing the spatial pattern of rural settlements to change periodically. 2) Based on the transformation of different stages, the dominant force and spatial forms of settlement in the transition of Southern Jiangsu rural settlement space reconstruction formed three modes: hooked model between urban and rural areas, rural self-renewal mode and new country construction model. The connotation and space characteristics of different models are different. In the future, beautiful rural settlement space mode should be accomplished. It should be fully accommodated with natural environment which provides livable space for residents; match the agriculture and industry production which makes intensive and efficient production space; adapt to the social and economic development so as to realized the integration of urban and rural areas; be consistent with the policy regulation to obtain the fairness and justice of the rural space. 3) The path of rural settlements reconstruction is the reconstruction of urban and rural resources. The future of rural settlements should be ecological space, intensive space, co-ordinate space and justicial space. Through the research of rural settlement space reconstruction of Southern Jiangsu in transitional period, this paper may provide theoretical reference and practice for the rural development and the rural settlement spatial transformation in the rest of China.