Marco Polo was a European explorer who traveled from Venice to China. Marco's father and uncle had traveled to Asia while Marco was young. They returned to Venice for a few short years but soon set off to Asia again but this time they brought young Marco with them. They arrived in China in 1275. Kublai Khan recognized that aligning himself with merchants from the western world could be of tremendous benefit to himself and the entire Yuan Dynasty. Marco Polo spent 17 years in China in the service of Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan made Marco Polo an envoy for his dynasty, sending him to far off places in Asia making sure they were staying loyal to the Khan. Eventually Kublai Khan made Marco Polo governor of a Chinese city. Upon Marco Polo's return to Venice, few people believed Polo's stories of Asia and the Khan. He was captured by Genoese soldiers during a civil war between Genoa and Venice. It was during his time in prison that a prisoner wrote down the stories that Polo told and his book became one of the most famous books in Europe. The book inspired Christopher Columbus to go exploring in hopes of reaching China again but instead he stumbled onto American soil for the first time. It is also in his book that people get a much softer and even pleasant description of Kublai Khan and his generosity and kindness to the Polo men who were very loyal to him.
Food for Thought
How would American history be different if Marco Polo had never existed?
Watch the following video and ask yourself if it changes your perception of Kublai Khan.
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- SYLVIA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? - WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? I'M LISTENING TO SENORE POLO. - BUT HOW COULD YOU? THIS MAN IS A PRISONER, AN ENEMY OF YOUR COUNTRY. - I'D RATHER HAVE ONE EXCITING ENEMY THAN A HUNDRED BORING HUSBANDS. [soft laughter] - BUT, SYLVIE DEAR, WHAT IF OUR FRIENDS FIND OUT? - WHY DON'T YOU STICK AROUND AND ASK THEM FOR YOURSELF? THEY'LL BE HERE ANY MINUTE. - WHAT? YOU ASKED OUR FRIENDS TO COME? - ONLY THE MOST RESPECTABLE ONES. - GAH! - GOOD, THE PARTY POOPER'S GONE. YOU MAY CONTINUE SENORE POLO. - FINALLY, AFTER FOUR YEARS OF TRAVELING, WE REACHED THE KHAN'S PALACE IN SHANG-TU. [dramatic music] - WELCOME BACK, MY FRIENDS. - WE HAVE BROUGHT YOU MANY GIFTS, DEAR KHAN. - YOU HAVE BROUGHT SOMETHING ELSE TOO. - YES. [chuckles] MY SON, MARCO. - THAT NIGHT, AN INCREDIBLE BANQUET WAS HELD IN OUR BEHALF. THERE WERE MAGICIANS WHO PERFORMED THE MOST STUNNING SPECTACLES. THE KHAN IS NEVER WANTON FOR ENTERTAINMENT. THE ONLY THING MORE REMARKABLE THAN THE INSIDE OF THE PALACE IS THE OUTSIDE. Transcript
THE VILLAGERS TELL ME YOU'RE THE GREATEST HUNTER IN YOUR KINGDOM. - [laughs] I HAVE MORE TIME TO PRACTICE THAN THEY DO. BEHIND ME AND TO THE RIGHT THERE IS A DEER OF CONSIDERABLE SIZE, IS THERE NOT? - THERE IS. THAT'LL KEEP YOUR FED FOR A WHILE. - NO, NO, NO, NO. EVERYTHING I KILL IS GIVEN TO THE POOR. THEY NEED IT MORE THAN I. I WANT YOU TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN AREAS OF MY KINGDOM, YOUNG MARCO. - I-- I WOULD BE HONORED. - YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY BRAVE TO HAVE COME THIS FAR FROM HOME, BUT YOU MUST BE BRAVER TO GO FURTHER STILL. DO YOU HAVE SUCH COURAGE? - I BELIEVE I DO, DEAR KHAN. - HMM. WE SHALL SEE. [roars] [roars] - [sighs] - YOU PASSED, YOUNG MARCO POLO. Transcript
- THIS WAS THE HAPPIEST TIME OF MY LIFE. I TRAVELED TO AN EXOTIC LAND FAR TO THE SOUTH AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA. HERE THE NATIVES WOULD JUMP FROM THEIR BOATS, GO DOWN TO THE OCEAN FLOOR, AND WHILE STAYING UNDER AS IF THEY WERE FISH, THEY COLLECTED THE PUREST, MOST LUSTROUS PEARLS EVER SEEN. IT WAS A TIME OF ABSOLUTE WONDER AND UNEXPECTED DANGER. THERE IT IS. - YOU CANNOT GO ANY CLOSER. - I JUST WANT TO GET A BETTER LOOK. - THEY SAY THOSE STATUES ARE PROTECTED BY BIG LIZARDS. - LOOK, SABA, SO FAR, I HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY HUGE CATS WITH STRIPES, HUGE CATS WITH SPOTS, AND A HAIRY MAN WITH A TAIL WHO THROWS HUGE NUTS. BIG LIZARDS I CAN HANDLE. I SPOKE TOO SOON. AS I WALKED TOWARD THE RUINS, I SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT THE LOGS HAD EYES. OH! AH! LUCKILY, THE SIAMESE GODS GAVE ME PROTECTION. - PLEASE, DEAR KHAN, WE'RE GROWING OLD. IT'S TIME FOR US TO GO HOME. - BUT WE CAN'T GO BACK WITHOUT YOUR PROTECTION. - I'M SORRY, MY FRIENDS. I WILL NOT LET YOU GO. - BUT WE WANT TO DIE AT HOME. AND MARCO--MARCO NEEDS TO SETTLE DOWN AND START HIS OWN FAMILY. - MY ANSWER IS NO. Transcript
- I LOVED WORKING FOR THE KHAN. HE WAS GOOD TO ME. - YOU'VE SEEN THE RICHES OF MY UNCLE'S KINGDOM. WHY SHOULD HE HAVE SO MUCH AND YOU SO LITTLE? - I'M SATISFIED WITH WHAT HE PAYS ME. - YOU RISK YOUR LIFE EVERY DAY AMONGST SAVAGES AND WILD BEASTS. - HE SHOULD PAY YOU TEN TIMES WHAT HE DOES. - I AM SATISFIED WITH WHAT HE PAYS ME. - YOU WILL TAKE THE KHAN FOR A WALK IN THE SOUTH GARDEN. WHEN YOU REACH THE FAR WALL, WE'LL KILL HIM. I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND, MARCO. YOU EITHER HELP US... - I'D RATHER DIE WITH HONOR THAN LIVE WITH SHAME. - THEN DIE YOU WILL. AH! - YOU COULD HAVE EASILY DONE IT. YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME AND TAKEN A THIRD OF MY KINGDOM. - NO, I COULDN'T, DEAR KHAN. MY FATHER ALWAYS TAUGHT ME, THERE IS A PEACE THAT COMES WITH BEING HONEST. WELL, I'M SURE I'VE KEPT YOU LONG ENOUGH, DEAR DUCHESS. SHALL WE FINISH THE STORY TOMORROW? - NO, NO. - PLEASE, GO ON. - GO ON, PLEASE. - ONE DAY, I RECEIVED THE NEWS THAT THE KHAN HAD FALLEN ILL. - I'M GROWING OLD, MARCO. AND WHEN I DIE, CHINA WILL NO LONGER BE A SAFE PLACE FOR THE POLOS. I THINK I'M READY TO SET YOU FREE. LOOK BEHIND YOU, AND YOU'LL FIND YOUR PAYMENT. - ALL THAT FOR US? - TO PAY YOU ANY LESS WOULD BE DISHONEST. AND I WANT TO DIE IN PEACE. - SO AFTER 17 YEARS, WE FINALLY CAME HOME. - POLO! MARCO POLO! TELL MY WIFE AND HER SILLY FRIENDS TO GO HOME. THE WAR IS OVER, AND YOU'RE GOING BACK TO VENICE WHERE YOU BELONG. - WHAT ABOUT SENORE POLO'S STORY, EH? DO YOU THINK IT'S TRUE? - NO. NO CHANCE. - ARE YOU KIDDING? [laughs] - OF COURSE IT ISN'T TRUE, BUT HE'S SUCH A GOOD STORYTELLER. - DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THEM, CAPTAIN POLO. THIS IS FOR YOU. THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. IT'S THE BOOK I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE, BUT IT BELONGS TO YOU. IT'S YOUR STORY. - I CAN'T SEEM TO MAKE ANYONE BELIEVE ME. YOU KEEP IT. MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE BETTER LUCK. - IN THE DECADES FOLLOWING HIS DEATH, THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO BECAME THE MOST FAMOUS AND INFLUENTIAL BOOK OF THE MIDDLE AGES. IT STARTED A FIRE IN THE HEARTS OF YOUNG EXPLORERS. THEY WANTED TO FIND MARCO POLO'S LAND FULL OF WEALTH AND WONDER. AND IN 1514, THE PORTUGUESE FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT THE GREAT EXPLORER MARCO POLO HAD TOLD THE TRUTH. [dramatic music] - [man vocalizing] [singing] SOME MAY DREAM OF FAR-OFF LANDS SOME MAY DREAM OF TREASURES GRAND AND SOME MAY DREAM THEY'LL ONE DAY STAND ON DISTANT SHORES BUT I HAVE HEARD THE JUNGLE CRY AND I HAVE FELT THE DESERT SIGH AND I HAVE SEEN THE MOUNTAINS TOUCH THE SKY ON DISTANT SHORES PERFUMES, PEARLS, AND PALACES BESIDE CASCADING WATERFALLS OCEANS FILLED WITH PROMISES TO KEEP THE GOLDEN RIVERS COLD SOME MAY NEVER UNDERSTAND THAT DREAMS CAN SLIP AWAY LIKE WINDBLOWN SAND BUT I HAVE HELD THESE TREASURES IN MY HAND ON DISTANT SHORES SOME MAY NEVER UNDERSTAND THAT DREAMS CAN SLIP AWAY LIKE WINDBLOWN SAND BUT I HAVE HELD THESE TREASURES IN MY HAND ON DISTANT SHORES BUT I HAVE HELD GREAT TREASURE IN MY HAND ON DISTANT SHORES ON DISTANT SHORES Transcript
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Question
Why did the man not want his wife and friends to listen to Marco Polo?
