Marco Polo

     Marco Polo, born in Venice 1254, was a merchant and writer. He was known for traveling on the Silk Road from Venice till China.There are many books about Marco Polo and his adventures, he himself wrote a book about it. Though Marco Polo's adventures are almost limitless, his greatest achievements are three: traveling from Venice To China, opening the Europeans' vision of China, and writing a very unique book.

     The Journey

     At the age of seventeen, Marco Polo and his father joined his uncle to go to China. They went along the Silk Road on horses as said in Wikipedia. It was a great experience for Marco, since he was training to become a merchant. 

     On their way, they stopped at Kublai Khan's palace in China. Khan was impressed by Marcos' smartness so assigned him as his foreign emissary. He was sent to many places like Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia. During these years, Marco learned five languages and observed other cultures with great interest. He worked with Khan for about seventeen years. Khan really liked Marco and didn’t let him return to Europe, but at the end he gave him permission to leave. Before Marco left, Khan asked him to do one more mission, to join the Mongol princess kököchin. After that, he went back to Europe, Venice. His journey took 24 years and 15,000 miles.

Europeans vision of China

     Before Marcos' voyage, Europeans thought they were the Center of the world. But after, Marco told them about all the other counties and their culture. He also brought back paper, paper money which was a great thing for business in Europe. The Compass was also one of his very important devices he got from China. It made navigation much easier for the Europeans which permitted many discoveries. Noodles were also introduced as a new kind of food which is now the main dish in Italy.

     All of this has changed Europe’s view of the world, trading has developed between the west and the east, and China has learned from Marco Polo a lot of things like armament and fireworks. Marco didn’t only bring goods to China but also tried to bring Christianity to the east. The emperor of the Mongol was very Impressed of this religion. The vision of the world has diversified a lot since.

The Book

     After some days of his return, some forces of Genoa have thrown him in prison. Marco was in jail with another prisoner, who happens to be an author. With his help, Marco Polo wrote his book about his adventures. The book was called The Travels Of Marco Polo, which was an instant success. Many people thought of it as a fable, as extraordinary it was. Nearly two hundred years later, Christopher Columbus was inspired by Marcos' book which was a reference for him.

Marco Polo's travel inspired many people who stays in our memory as a very brave and open minded traveler.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Historpedia