Red culture, an outstanding cultural heritage created by the Communist Party of China and the people during a century of struggle, is an essential component for advancing rural cultural revitalization in the new era. Effectively utilizing red cultural resources to empower rural cultural revitalization holds critical significance in addressing the current decline of rural culture and reshaping developmental momentum. This study follows a three-dimensional framework of “ value implication-practical dilemmas-implementation pathways”. The value implication reflects the dialectical unity of enhancing villagers’ spiritual and cultural awareness of red culture, fostering a new pattern of coordinated development integrating red culture, agriculture, and tourism, and promoting “effective governance” at the rural grassroots level. Practical dilemmas include the need to strengthen villagers’ cognitive recognition and participatory capacity regarding red culture, expand the living space and carrier transmission functions of red culture, and improve the integration chain and development efficiency of red cultural resources. Implementation pathways encompass aspects such as multistakeholder collaboration, revitalization of cultural carriers, and industrial integration. By examining these dimensions of red culture empowering rural cultural revitalization, this study aims to provide valuable insights for advancing rural cultural revitalization, fostering civilized rural practices, and perpetuating the red cultural heritage in rural areas in the new era.