Rural innovation, which includes demand innovation, factor innovation, industry innovation, environment innovation, organization innovation, system innovation and culture innovation, is classified into four periods such as primitive factor leading, initial factor leading, medium factor leading and high - rank factor leading. The rural innovation at Yangtze upriver is still in the period of initial factor leading and has seven barriers. Thus, the basic mode of the rural innovation at Yangtze upriver is governmental leading, must overall establish initial rural innovation system, construct diamond structure which is helpful to medium -level innovation, promote innovation of important rural areas at Yangtze upriver, set up environmental basis and villager quality basis for well - off all - round society and breakthrough rural innovation of backward areas at Yangtze upriver.