Scholars in ancient China often compared "reading thousands of books" with "traveling in Wan Li", and almost all of them had a history of traveling and sightseeing. One of the more famous is:

Qu Yuan (about 340 ~ 278 BC) was a healer at the end of the Warring States Period. He was humiliated and degraded by The King of Chu State. He went to Hanbei and Jiangnan successively, and traveled in Yuan and Xiang river basins for a long time. Deeply feel the corruption of national politics and the disillusionment of their own ideals; He angrily wrote poems such as Li Sao, Nine Chapters, Nine Songs and Nine Questions. These poems, with beautiful language and rich imagination, express his spirit of hating evil, worrying about the country and the people, and dedicating himself to his ideals, and are known as "speaking out loud, and being outstanding all his life" (Lu Xun's Outline of China Literature History). Legends and stories; He not only revised, supplemented and explained Sang Qin's Water Mirror, but also eulogized and praised the landscape of the motherland. It not only has precious geographical value, but also occupies a very important position.

Xu Xiake (1586 ~ 164 1 year), a geographer. He doesn't enter the official career, but specializes in traveling. From the age of 22, with the support of his mother, he "traveled around famous mountains and rivers, broadened his mind and increased his knowledge". He arrived at Yanyou in the north, Guangdong and Fujian in the east and southern Yunnan in the west. It has lasted for more than 39 years, covering Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. He waded through mountains and rivers and slept in the wild; The splendid rivers and mountains, geological and mineral resources, water resources, all kinds of creatures, vegetation, caves and karst of the motherland were investigated and studied in detail. He kept a diary every day and described his personal experiences and travels in fresh and concise language, which was compiled by later generations into Xu Xiake's Travels. Because of its vivid writing, fine description and strong artistic appeal, this book is not only a geographical work, but also of high literary value.

In addition, there are Wang Wei, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Shen Kuo, Su Dongpo, Li Qingzhao, Lu You, Zhu Shunshui and Li Shizhen. They are all famous literati in ancient times, who have made great achievements in tourism and have immortal works.