<p>The spatial mismatch between tourism supply and demand poses a significant challenge to sustainable rural development. China’s rapid yet uneven rural tourism development presents a representative case for examining such spatial imbalances. Using a national dataset of characteristic villages alongside multi-source geospatial data, this study employs a coupling coordination model and geographical detector analysis to assess the supply-demand relationship in China’s characteristic villages. The findings indicate a pronounced eastward clustering of villages and a diamond-shaped spatial pattern of tourism facilities linking four major cities (Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai). Crucially, we identify a widespread undersupply of facilities around high-demand characteristic villages in the eastern region. The overall coupling coordination between tourism supply and demand was low and exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity in characteristic villages. High levels of coordination were found in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Chengdu-Chongqing, Yangtze River Midstream, Yangtze River Delta, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area urban agglomerations. The density of tourism facilities and GDP emerged as critical variables affecting the spatial differentiation of supply-demand coordination degree. The study offers a scalable method for diagnosing supply-demand imbalances and guiding targeted planning interventions in rural tourism.</p>