Abstract: With the adjustment of national policies, the relationship between urban and rural areas in China has been evolving in a positive direction, and the trend of urban-rural integration has gradually taken shape. Small towns in the suburbs of metropolitan areas, as a link between cities and villages, play an important role in promoting urban-rural integration and are increasingly receiving attention from the academic community. This article utilizes CiteSpace software to analyze the literature related to the development of small towns in the suburbs of metropolitan areas over the past three decades. It is found that the hotspots of existing research have changed in stages. Based on the evolution of national policies, the urban-rural relationship in China since the reform and opening-up can be divided into three stages: exploration and adjustment of the urban-rural dual structure, urban-rural coordination, and urban-rural integration. The research hotspots in this field correspond to development characteristics, power mechanisms and development modes, and development paths, respectively. Further focusing on the research in this field at each stage, it is found that there are four deficiencies: 1) Research on shrinking small towns is relatively insufficient; 2) Quantitative research is relatively lacking; 3) Research on non-physical elements is weak; 4) Research results for the western region are relatively scarce. In response to these current issues, it is proposed that future research should focus on shrinking small towns in the context of population decline, promote quantitative research and research on non-physical factors, strengthen targeted research through the introduction of typology, and explore development paths for small towns in the suburbs of metropolitan areas that are suitable for different regions, especially the western region.