明万历三十年,灵山卫指挥使谈九畴实地勘查胶莱河流域,编绘了胶莱河图说。后经清康雍年间张谦宜摹绘并增补相关奏议、跋语等,形成今本《胶莱河辩议图说汇辑》。该图说是目前所见时代最早、内容最丰富的胶莱河流域水利专门地图,保存了明后期胶莱河流域的地理环境信息。对图中地物及景观进行考证研究,可以复原胶莱河流域在明代晚期的地理环境,也可为研究其历史时期的发展演变过程提供依据。图中对王献与刘应节先后试凿胶莱河史实的记载,亦可补《明史·河渠志》《明实录》等史料的不足,使今人得以重新检视万历初年曾经聚讼纷纭的胶莱河议案。

In 1602 AD (the thirtieth year of the Wanli era), Tan Jiuchou(谈九畴) surveyed the Jiaolai River and created the original atlas. In 1725 AD (the third year of the Yongzheng era), the atlas was compiled by Zhang Qianyi(张谦宜), along with other miscellaneous discourses on the Jiaolai River, under the title Jiaolai He Bianyi Tushuo Huiji (The Collection of Maps of the Jiaolai River with Explanatory Notes). It can be considered a work of significant importance for researching the water conservancy history and environmental changes of the Jiaolai River. Examining the geographical features and landscapes on the map can help reconstruct the geographical environment of the Jiaolai River Basin during the late Ming Dynasty and provide evidence for studying the development and evolution throughout historical periods. The notes of Wang Xian’s(王献) and Liu Yingjie’s(刘应节)efforts to excavate the Jiaolai River supplement the gaps in historical records, such as the River and Canal Records of The History of Ming Dynasty and The Veritable Records of Ming, enabling a reassessment of the contentious Jiaolai River proposal during the early years of the Wanli era.