With the widening urban-rural gap caused by urbanisation, the equity of urban-rural education has become a research hotspot. This study explored the differences in motivational beliefs about English learning among Chinese urban and rural students and the impact of motivational beliefs on their English performance. A total of 6326 urban and 2600 rural Chinese eighth graders participated in the survey. Data were collected using self-reported motivational belief scale and English performance test. The independent sample t-test showed that motivational beliefs and English performance of urban students were significantly higher than that of rural students in China. Multilevel analysis demonstrated that at the student level, intrinsic value has the highest predictive power for English performance of urban and rural students, while extrinsic value can only predict English performance of rural students and self-efficacy can only predict English performance of urban students. However, at the school level, motivational beliefs cannot significantly predict English performance of urban and rural students. These results are of great significance to improve English education in rural areas and further promote education equity in China and other East Asian countries.