Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.109> Article
Research Article

Applied Research on GIS-Based Map Visualization of Li Bai's Travel Routes

Kaixuan ZouSouthwest University of Science and Technology*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This study employs GIS to present a systematic visual map of Li Bai's travel itineraries. More than 120 travel sites were extracted from The Complete Tang Poems, related literature, and historical maps. A spatial database was built using ArcGIS, and Li Bai's travels were divided into four life periods. Three main routes were identified: leaving Shu for Chang'an, wandering in the Yangtze River Basin, and the exile-and-return journey in his later years. A kernel density heat map was generated, and empirical findings show that about 65% of the destinations are distributed in the Yangtze River Basin, forming a high-density area around Jinling (Nanjing). The research further follows a four-stage technical path: literature collation, data extraction, spatial analysis, and visual presentation. By integrating literary geography theory with GIS technology, this study provides a new spatial perspective for Li Bai scholarship and validates the feasibility of GIS visualization in digital humanities research.

Keywords: GIS; Li Bai; Travel Routes; Map Visualization; Digital Humanities
Published: June 15, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.NS34357
Volume: CHR Vol.109
pp. 93-99
Download PDF

References

  1. Zhu, Y. G., Li, X. C., Li, Y., Wang, S. M., Qi, S. S., Zhang, C., & Zhu, M. (2018). Research of life path of Chinese historical figures based on GIS. Geomatics World, 25(5), 68–74.
  2. Guan, M. B., Shen, Y., Zhao, Y., & Chai, Y. W. (2004). GIS methods in time-geographic research: Geocomputation and geovisualization of human activity patterns. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 86(4), 267–280.
  3. Huang, Y. Y. (2015). 3D visualization and application of Quanzhou historical city based on GIS. Journal of Fuyang Normal University (Natural Science), 32(1), 58–61.
  4. Kong, W. Y., Li, Y., Ren, J. L., Zhou, C., & Zhang, F. J. (2019). Model-driven dynamic visualization of spatiotemporal data in GIS. In Advances in image and graphics technologies (pp. 204–215).
  5. Ivlieva, N. G., & Manukhov, V. F. (2016). Experience in the mapping travel routes P.S. Pallas and I.I. Lepekhin across Middle Volga region using GIS-technologies. InterCarto. InterGIS, 1(22), 362–369.
  6. Huang, L. B., & Liu, C. (2021). Progress in the application and practice of GIS technology in the protection of historical urban cultural heritage. Journal of Nanjing Forestry University (Natural Sciences Edition), 45(4), 204–212.
  7. Wan, D. J., & Wang, P. F. (2010). Verification of Li Bai's travel traces in Shanxi. Journal of Taiyuan Normal University (Social Science Edition), 9(2), 69–71.
  8. Xuan, G. F., Lu, L., & Zhang, J. H. (2002). Research on the tourism development of Li Bai's travel traces in southern Anhui. Journal of Anhui Normal University (Natural Science), 25(1), 84–87.
  9. Zhang, J. L., Li, R. J., Fu, X. Q., & Zhang, J. H. (2014). Spatial information analysis and visualization analysis of the ancient poetry: Taking Li Bai's poems as an example. Journal of Geo-information Science, 16(6), 890–897.
  10. Zeng, D. X. (2020, September 8). Chinese literary geography research and discipline construction. Chinese Social Sciences Net.
  11. Dai, J. C. (2015). Research paradigm and interdisciplinarity of Chinese literary geography. Progress in Geography, 34(4), 526–532.
  12. Yang, Q. F. (2022). Four interrogations concerning the methodology of digital humanities. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 42(4), 81–93.
  13. Liu, S. Y., Wang, L. H., Liu, W., & Liu, Q. Q. (2022). Research paradigms and platform construction of digital humanities. Document, Information & Knowledge, 39(1), 6–29.
  14. Liang, Y. Q., Yang, R. X., Xie, Y. H., Wang, P., Yang, A. L., & Li, W. (2021). Construction and analysis of global world cultural heritage knowledge graph based on big earth data. National Remote Sensing Bulletin, 25(12), 2441–2459.
  15. Wang, J., Peng, F., Zhao, C. C., Li, M. J., & Huang, W. T. (2020). The construction and analysis of classical Chinese poetry knowledge graph. Journal of Computer Research and Development, 57(6), 1252–1266.