Presentation Title
Marco Polo - Pioneer of the East-West Communication and Trade Link
Location
Council Chambers
Start Date
12-10-2013 11:00 AM
End Date
12-10-2013 12:30 PM
Abstract
The Travels of Marco Polo is the most influential travelogue on the Silk Road ever written in a European language. Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy in 1254 and was only 6 years old when his father (Maffeo Polo) and uncle (Niccilo Polo) set out on their first trip to Cathay (China). When Marco was 17 years old, his father and uncle took him on their second journey to China. From Venice, they crossed the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, and reached the ancient city Bagdad. From the Strait of Hormuz of the Persian Gulf, they could have reached China, had not they been robbed by pirates and changed their plan to travel by ocean. Instead they traveled by land mostly on horseback, and passed through Armenia, Persia and Afghanistan over the Pamirs, and all along the Silk Road to China. In his book, Marco Polo gave a detailed account of the rise of Mongol and Great Khan’s life and empire, and complimented the Chinese prosperity, civilization and trade. Today there are more than 80 manuscript copies in various versions and several languages around the world including a Chinese version translated by this author’s Yu family. His book has captured readers through the centuries but some skeptics question the authenticity of his account and consider his stories as fairytales saying that Marco Polo had never traveled to China. This paper gives evidence that Marco Polo did travel to China and open up the East-West communication and trade link on the Silk Road in the 13th century. If Marco Polo had not traveled to China, how could he have discussed the post stations, paper money, silk, spice and jewelry in great details?
Marco Polo - Pioneer of the East-West Communication and Trade Link
Council Chambers
The Travels of Marco Polo is the most influential travelogue on the Silk Road ever written in a European language. Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy in 1254 and was only 6 years old when his father (Maffeo Polo) and uncle (Niccilo Polo) set out on their first trip to Cathay (China). When Marco was 17 years old, his father and uncle took him on their second journey to China. From Venice, they crossed the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, and reached the ancient city Bagdad. From the Strait of Hormuz of the Persian Gulf, they could have reached China, had not they been robbed by pirates and changed their plan to travel by ocean. Instead they traveled by land mostly on horseback, and passed through Armenia, Persia and Afghanistan over the Pamirs, and all along the Silk Road to China. In his book, Marco Polo gave a detailed account of the rise of Mongol and Great Khan’s life and empire, and complimented the Chinese prosperity, civilization and trade. Today there are more than 80 manuscript copies in various versions and several languages around the world including a Chinese version translated by this author’s Yu family. His book has captured readers through the centuries but some skeptics question the authenticity of his account and consider his stories as fairytales saying that Marco Polo had never traveled to China. This paper gives evidence that Marco Polo did travel to China and open up the East-West communication and trade link on the Silk Road in the 13th century. If Marco Polo had not traveled to China, how could he have discussed the post stations, paper money, silk, spice and jewelry in great details?
Comments
Presentation is included in Panel 14: Border-Crossing and Comparative Literature in Late Imperial China