The economic development of rural areas through tourism has been demonstrated in numerous practical and academic studies. However, it remains unclear how rural areas can foster tourism development alongside the growth of rural communities through community building. A longitudinal case study about Jianta Village was adopted. By utilizing actor-network theory as an analytical framework, this study explore the dynamic processes and driving mechanisms through which relevant actors in the case study site promote rural tourism community building. Findings reveal that rural tourism community building constitutes a complex network system involving multiple actors, including non-human actors such as rural festivals and several human actors. The diverse interactive relationships and behavioural practices among actors foster the dynamic evolution of this network, thereby delineating three distinct phases of community building. More importantly, the study further elucidates the mechanisms driving community building that emerge from the synergy of various elements, as shaped by the characteristics of different key actors. These results enrich the explanatory framework for community building, offering theoretical and practical insights for understanding the deeper social value of tourism, promoting endogenous community development, and fostering villagers' self-organization.