StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Marco Polo's Journey to China - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Marco Polo was born in c.1254 in Venice. He was a Venetian explorer and merchant whose account of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the Far East until the late 19th century. Marco's father, Niccolò, and his uncle Maffeo had traveled to China (1260-69) as merchants. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93% of users find it useful
Marco Polos Journey to China
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Marco Polo's Journey to China"

China In 1275 Marco Polo was born in c.1254 in Venice. He was a Venetian explorer and merchant whose account of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the Far East until the late 19th century. Marco's father, Niccol, and his uncle Maffeo had traveled to China (1260-69) as merchants. When they left (1271) Venice to return to China, they were accompanied by 17-year-old Marco and two priests. Marco was seventeen years old when he, his father and uncle finally set out for the court of Kublai Khan.

They were accompanied not only by one hundred wise men butby two Dominican friars, and the two good friars turned back at the first sign of adversity, another local war in the Levant. Aside from the pope's messages, the only spiritual gift Europe was able to furnish the great Kublai Khan was oil from the lamp burning at Jesus Christ's supposed tomb in Jerusalem. Yet, in a sense, young Marco, the only new person in the Polos' party, was himself a fitting representative of the spirit of European civilization on the eve of the Renaissance, and the lack of one hundred learned Europeans guaranteed that he would catch the eye of the Cowan, who was curious about Latins.

On the way to the Khan's court, Marco had the opportunity to complete his education. The journey took three and a half years by horseback through some of the world's most rugged terrain, including snowy mountain ranges, such as the Pamirs, and parching deserts, such as the Gobi. Marco and his party encountered such hazards as wild beasts and brigands; they also met with beautiful women, in whom young Marco took a special interest. The group traveled numerous countries and cultures, noting food, dress, and religion unique to each.

In particular, under the khans's protection the Polos were able to observe a large portion of the Islamic world at close range, as few if any European Christians had. By the time they reached the khan's court in Khanbalik, Marco had become a hardened traveler. He had also received a unique education and had been initiated into manhood. Kublai Khan greeted the Polos warmly and invited them to stay on in his court. Here, if Marco's account is to be believed, the Polos became great favorites of the khan, and Kublai eventually made Marco one of his most trusted emissaries.

On these points Marco has been accused of gross exaggeration, and the actual status of the Polos at the court of the khan is much disputed. If at first it appears unlikely that Kublai would make young Marco an emissary, upon examination this seems quite reasonable. For political reasons, the khan was in the habit of appointing foreigners to administer conquered lands, particularly China, where the tenacity of the Chinese bureaucracy was legendary. The khan could also observe for himself that young Marco was a good candidate.

Finally, Marco reported back so successfully from his first mission-informing the khan not only on business details but also on colorful customs and other interesting trivia-that his further appointment was confirmed. The journeys specifically mentioned in Marco's book, involving travel across China and a sea voyage to India, suggests that the khan did indeed trust him with some of the most difficult missions.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Marco Polo's Journey to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Marco Polo's Journey to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1513510-marco-polos-journey-to-china
(Marco Polo'S Journey to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Marco Polo'S Journey to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1513510-marco-polos-journey-to-china.
“Marco Polo'S Journey to China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1513510-marco-polos-journey-to-china.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Marco Polo's Journey to China

Marco Polos Travel Account

Author's Name School Name Title - Marco Polo's Travel Account Marco Polo (1254-1324) presents a firsthand account of his long journey from Venetian City to china, at that time known as Cathay.... After having analyzed marco polo's travelogue in detail along with the second hand accounts on his writings written afterwards, a few patterns can be identified conveniently.... Since marco polo's father was a great merchant who had visited Cathay early on for trade, he had the honor of having met Kublai Khan, the emperor of Cathay, and thus the emperor had bestowed the merchant with a VIP passport, which allowed them to access horsebacks and other necessities and luxuries when the Polo brothers were to accompany their father....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Retail Services in China

This paper, thus, not only offers effects for the usability of the internalization theory, but also grants an inside view into the market growth strategy of a worldwide soft drink producer in china.... The paper will assess significant cultural and economic aspects that may have an impact on extending Coca-Cola sales in china.... Derived from a case study of Coca-Cola's entry option into china, this study tests the applicability of internalization assumption to revealing the entry choice of Coca-Cola Company into china....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Explorer Description: Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was very fascinated with marco polo's journey to Asia in 1271.... So that he could make way to marco polo's amazing gold mines i.... He explored Cuba, which he believed was a peninsula and not an island and he believed it to be a part of china.... The ships were divided into 2 groups, 3 of them were to go to Hispaniola and the other 3 were to remain with Columbus for his search for china.... And then he started out what was to be a five-week journey across the ocean, after days of being at the sea land was sighted in October in 1492....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Silk Road between India and China

Buddhism also spread to from India to china through the silk route.... Today we can very well boast of the ICT era led technological boom in the industrial world, but historians credit marco polo's travelogue for bringing about the technological changes.... Though Osterhammel and Petersson identify the period from 1750 to 1880 as an era which gave rise to the phenomenon of free trade development and as an important step towards globalisation but marco polo's trade along the silk route, during the first half of 14th century could very well be termed as the beginning of globalisation....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Historic Voyages of Two Distinct Personalities in History, William of Rubruck and Marco Polo

However, their views and opinions vary as William of Rubruck was on a missionary journey to china, and Marco Polo, on the other hand, was a Venetian trader and explorer who travelled the world.... Two distinguished explorers have written historical accounts of their trip to china during the Mongol period.... However, seeing that William of Rubruck was a Flemish Franciscan missionary who, under Louis IX's orders, set out from Constantinople on a missionary journey to convert the Tartars, obviously illustrates the idea that his view is that of a religious individual's view....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Why Is Marco Polo More Popular than Ibn Battutah

Marco Polo and Ibn Battutah, both are considered as well known travelers and writers of their era, both possessed the sense of observation putting down in black and white, both contributed towards Geography, but the consequences that made Marco Polo more popular than Ibn Battutah can be judged in the light of certain facts like Marco Polo possessed a deep sense of surveillance of every thing related to nature, which is highlighted by his work while Ibn Battutah, a religious Arab, possessed his own unique style of observing and saying things accordingly. … Marco Polo (1254-1324) was among the first few Europeans who dared to travel the Silk Road to china....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta

hellip; This research will begin with the statement that described as the Marco Polo of the Muslim world, Ibn Battuta is renowned for his travels during the Middle Ages that brought him as far as china.... The Adventures of Ibn Battuta is a chronicle of Ibn Battuta's travel.... It provided a vivid narrative of the traveler, who has collected and recorded vast knowledge on the institutions, governments, personalities not just of the Islamic world but also other countries during the 14th century....
5 Pages (1250 words) Book Report/Review

Expressive Characteristics of Five-Color Parakeet

This paper "Expressive Characteristics of Five-Color Parakeet" focuses on the fact that it was during the Northern Sung Period when the styles of paintings in china reached its peak.... Five-Coloured Parakeet is a hanging scroll pained with Ink and colours on silk during the Late Northern Sung dynasty....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us