Abstract: Contiguous rural areas within metropolitan areas serve as key nodes for the flow of urban-rural factors, featuring a shared ecological base, interconnected cultural context, and complementary industrial functions, yet marked by distinct administrative divisions. As important cross-border adjacent regions of metropolitan areas, cross-border governance in these areas constitutes a crucial path to break down administrative barriers and achieve contiguous rural revitalization. Based on an analysis of the basic connotation and characteristics of contiguous rural areas in metropolitan areas, this study, from the perspectives of the rural 'endogenous-exogenous' development model theory and cross-border governance theory, proposes a strategic framework for the cross-border collaborative development of such areas through practical exploration in the Maoshan District of the Nanjing Metropolitan Area in Jiangsu Province. The framework mainly includes the introduction of external regional factors, excavation of the value of inherent resources, establishment of an actor network, and promotion of the interconnection of factors within the area to realize cross-border collaboration. Meanwhile, to facilitate the implementation of the strategies for contiguous rural development, this study suggests formulating a development plan for contiguous rural areas in metropolitan areas and constructing a planning system of 'overall planning-action plan-detailed design', with the focus on achieving the cross-border collaborative development of rural-type cross-border regions.