The burden of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been increasing dramatically over the past three decades. However, the awareness, treatment, and control of CMDs in these countries remain poor. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding supply-based reasons (i.e., barriers in physicians and health systems) for CMD management in LMICs, the barriers related to patients’ attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions towards health care system have not been explored in depth. This project aims to understand the decision-making and health-related behaviours of CMD patients, who are living in rural China, and their interactions with other stakeholders in the health system, especially to determine how patients’ psychological biases and the structural factors shape their thinking and behaviours. We will collect both qualitative and quantitative data to identify patients’ health status, health preferences & beliefs, care-seeking behaviours, and social context by conducting household surveys and in-depth interviews of 600 participants from two counties located in Central and Western China. Based on a comparative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative results, we will further create a patient journey map to describe all the stages a patient goes through in their care journey, the key barriers and facilitators for care-seeking, and their interplay with local health systems. Our findings will provide important implications of improving chronic disease management for researchers, clinicians, and policy makers, leading to a better quality of life for patients who are living with chronic diseases in LMICs.