Abstract: Qian Gu(钱穀)’s Painting Album of the Great Canal Journeys(《纪行图册》)was based on Wang Shizhen(王世贞)’s Shi Jin Ji Xing(《适晋纪行》)in the fourth year of the Longqing reign (1570) in June and was painted into 32 scenes from Cangshan Xiaozhi Garden(仓山小祗园) to Yangzhou Yangzi Bridge( 扬州扬子桥). Zhang Fu(张复)’s Visual Travelogue of A Journey Through the Waterways(《水程图》)was drawn on the boat going north when Wang Shizhen entered the position of Taipu(太仆) in the second year of Wanli (1574) in February. He depicted 52 scenes from Shao Bo(邵伯)to Tongzhou(通州). Both works were done in a realistic style and are considered exceptional in the Ming dynasty’s painting history. This article uses the on-site study method to undertake three tasks. First,since Wang Shizhen’s trip to the north coincided with the Great Canal’s changing period during the completion of the Longqing Xinhe(隆庆新河)and the discussion of the Jiahe(泇河),this article intends to digitize all the waterways they passed through. Second,Qian Gu stated that he wanted to record the true landscape at that time,so this article uses travel diaries,local gazetteers,ancient and modern maps,and my own research results through the on-site study to explain each illustration and verify the degree of realism depicted by the painters. Third,the value of the more than 80 scenes is like discovering a large box of Ming dynasty videotapes. This article will reveal the true appearance of the Great Canal in the Ming dynasty in a visual and expressive manner through the true nature of the scenes.

Key words: digital humanities, The Great Canal of the Ming dynasty, Qian Gu’s Painting Album of the Great Canal Journeys, Zhang Fu’s Visual Travelogue of a Journey Through the Waterways