Natural ventilation plays a crucial role in passive cooling and dehumidification in rural areas. This study uses Sville Vent as a platform to investigate the ventilation mechanism of traditional houses in Rucheng County, Hunan Province, China, from an ecological perspective. The study focuses on the influence of the wind incidence angle and window opening mode on ventilation efficiency. The results indicate that although the village layout is not directly aligned with the prevailing wind, effective ventilation is achieved through adaptive strategies, including utilising topography, constructing water bodies to generate artificial breezes, and designing high walls and narrow lanes to accelerate airflow. For individual buildings, it was found that a wind incidence angle of 30–45° and the use of funnel windows can optimise air inflow. These findings offer valuable optimisation strategies for the ecological design of rural settlements.