To systematically explore place perception in historical and cultural districts and its impact on cultural heritage protection behavior, this study takes the Kaifeng Shudian Street historical and cultural district as a case. Using grounded theory, five core dimensions of place perception were identified: historical culture, architectural space, commercial consumption, environmental atmosphere, and facility function. A "place perception-place meaning-sense of place-cultural heritage protection behavior" model was then constructed and validated using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that historical culture, architectural space, and environmental atmosphere have significant positive effects on cultural heritage protection behavior, while commercial consumption and facility function mainly exert indirect effects through place meaning and sense of place. Place meaning plays a cognitive mediating role between place perception and sense of place, whereas sense of place serves as an emotional mediator between place perception and cultural heritage protection behavior. Based on these findings, this study proposes place perception-oriented district renewal strategies, providing practical guidance for the protective renewal of historical and cultural districts and offering reference for sustainable development in other urban districts.