The inequality of opportunity is a fundamental driver of the widening income gap among rural residents, yet it remains to be empirically tested whether the equalization of public services can narrow this gap. Drawing on data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this paper constructs a multi-dimensional index of basic public service equalization that includes education, social security, labor and employment, housing, and cultural and sports services. It decomposes the pathways through which rural income inequality is generated and measures separately the total and direct contributions of circumstances to the income gap. The findings reveal that the equalization of public services has significantly alleviated income inequality among China's rural residents—particularly the portion attributable to differences in circumstances, known as the inequality of opportunity. This result remains robust after addressing endogeneity issues and conducting a series of robustness checks. Mechanism analysis indicates that this effect operates primarily through three channels: improving social participation among rural residents, expanding their non-agricultural employment opportunities, and unlocking the developmental potential of the female labor force. Among various public services, improvements in education, social security, and employment play a particularly prominent role in reducing the inequality of opportunity. Further quantile regression analysis shows that the mitigating effect of basic public service equalization on inequality of opportunity is more pronounced among samples with higher initial levels of inequality, suggesting a targeted “short‑board” compensating characteristic.