Urban-rural differences in education in China are often described as a problem of unequal resources. That description is partly correct

but it does not fully explain why schools with similar formal inputs can still produce different learning opportunities. This review focuses on the less visible part of the problem: how resources are turned into teaching. It brings together evidence on school and family resources

teacher quality

professional learning

and digital support

with particular attention to rural schools. Five representative studies are used as the main evidence base. Recent decomposition work shows that the urban-rural achievement gap is shaped not only by school resources but also by family resources and by differences in how effectively resources are used. Research on rural teacher policy suggests that improving the quality of the teaching workforce can generate long-term gains. Studies of professional learning communities show why teacher knowledge is more useful when it can circulate through stable school routines rather than remaining an individual asset. Digitalization adds new opportunities

but it also creates a second equity problem: access to technology does not guarantee equivalent capacity to use it. Evidence on teacher digital competence and education technology in China supports a cautious conclusion. Digital tools can improve learning

especially when they supplement instruction

yet their effects depend on teacher competence

task design

implementation

and the learning conditions students have outside school. The article argues that educational equity should therefore be assessed not only by what schools receive

but by what teachers and students are actually able to do with those resources.