The world is now interconnected, which is a prominent manifestation of human progress. However, for a long period of history, there were relatively few exchanges between the East and the West, one region and the other. The Mongol cavalry that emerged in the 13th century galloped freely, establishing an unprecedented empire and changing the political landscape of the Eurasian continent. The barriers between the East and the West are gradually crumbling. Especially an Italian named Marco Polo and a book called “Marco Polo’s Travels” showcased the magical Eastern civilization to the relatively backward West in the late Middle Ages. The world is brewing tremendous changes, and the opening of a new era for humanity is no longer a distant dream. The Site of the Yuan Dynasty Shangdu Capital The Mongols in Zhenglan Banner, Xilingol, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have become a powerful force by expanding the scope of military management. Kublai Khan began to establish the Yuan Dynasty on the basis of Chinese civilization. At the end of the 13th century, under the rule of Kublai Khan, China was politically stable, militarily strong, commercially prosperous, and technologically advanced, making it the most developed place in the world at that time. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Museum in Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has collected many precious cultural relics from the Yuan Dynasty. Before the Mongols took control of the Central Plains, the Chinese already knew how to manufacture silk, porcelain, compasses, and gunpowder. The people of the Yuan Dynasty invented the first gun, the oldest surviving metal barrel firearm, which was unearthed in Heilongjiang, China and preserved in the Museum of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Vice President of Inner Mongolia Museum – Yu Baodong: It is certain that the firearm was invented during the Yuan Dynasty. As for who invented it, there is no clear record in history. I generally believe that it was gradually improved on the basis of the Song people’s earth fire guns. As for the usage of firearms, it is actually very simple, just like a modern method of using firearms. We see a small hole in the firearm here, which is usually twisted with paper or contains medicine inside. After placing the paper twisted, the gunpowder is filled into it. Firearm is the first weapon that one person can use to kill enemies from a long distance. This metal firearm can hold 100 lead bullets, and once ignited, it can kill many people. In fact, it was the Mongol expedition to the West that led to the spread of many Chinese inventions and advanced technologies to the West in Xilingol Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. And Marco Polo described more inventions and technological innovations. It is precisely these that made China in the 13th century one of the most developed countries in the world at that time. Florence Italy was at the center of Western civilization in the Western Hemisphere at this time, in what is now northern Italy. Although Italy did not exist as a country at the time, cities such as Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Genoa were already very prosperous due to trade around the Mediterranean. These cities have their own governments and armies, just like each country. Alberto Sophie was a writer and historian who had a deep understanding of the history of Venice and Marco Polo. Writer and historical researcher – Alberto Sophie: At that time in the Western Hemisphere, no one knew about China and its civilization, only one person was a Venetian named Marco Polo. At that time, he was imprisoned in the Genoa prison, and the situation between Venice and Genoa was tense. In 1298, the Genoese attacked Venice and achieved a comprehensive victory. The Venetians became prisoners and hostages. In prison, his fellow inmate asked him to share his travel experiences. Marco Polo’s character: Kublai Khan is really a great person because he can make money through this process. He peels the mulberry bark, then puts it in a stone mortar to crush it until it becomes pulp, and then it can be made into paper, but the color is a bit dark. Then put a sweat seal on the paper, so it can be used as money to buy things. Prisoner: Genoese people will not release you for this kind of paper currency, only pure gold is circulated here. Marco Polo: Don’t worry, my family will redeem me with gold. Although the Chinese Numismatic Museum of the Yuan Dynasty was ridiculed by other criminals, the paper currency mentioned by Marco Polo is a real existence. The Chinese have created a financial system where paper currency can be exchanged with silver and can also purchase goods of similar value. Liu Xiao, a researcher at the History Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences at the Zhongtong Yuanbao Coinage Museum, said that China is the country with the earliest paper currency issuance in the world. Among them, the Jiaozi coin issued in the early Northern Song Dynasty, as the earliest paper currency in China, has been around for over a thousand years. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, in 1260, which was the first year of the Zhongtong era, a new type of paper currency was issued, known as the Zhongtong Yuanbao Jiao Chao, abbreviated as the Zhongtong Chao. This type of paper currency is made of mulberry paper, with denominations of ten, and is based on silver. At that time, it was stipulated that one or two taels of silver could be exchanged for the Zhongtong banknotes of the Second Guanwen Province. After the downfall of the Southern Song Dynasty, this type of paper currency was introduced throughout the country. At the beginning, currency was made of precious metals, and paper money was seen as owing someone money, promising to repay the equivalent amount of gold or silver written on paper. Then, paper money represented a form of credit currency, meaning that the government would return money equivalent to paper money. During the Marco Polo era, Italians used gold florins, a type of gold coin issued in Florence, as many Florentine banks had branches in Europe. Florin quickly became the main trading currency in Western Europe. In Europe, Sweden was the earliest country to issue paper currency, dating back to 1661, 600 years after the emergence of Chinese paper currency. Marco Polo’s character: In China, there is a black stone that is dug out from the mountains. This black stone burns no different from firewood, but its heat is better than firewood. If it burns at night, the fire of the stone will not go out the next morning. In China, people take a shower at least once a week, and every household with status or wealth has a bathroom for their own use. The firewood reserves are not enough to support such a large expenditure, while these stones have abundant reserves and low prices. Prisoner: You want us to believe this nonsense, I don’t believe you. You want to fool us, it’s a lie, it’s a lie. Prisoner: I believe you, I believe you. Writer and historian – Alberto Sophie: The people who believed in Marco Polo were Rusticillo from the city of Pisa. Without him, Marco Polo and his travelogues would never be known. At that time, Rustichello and Marco Polo were imprisoned in the same place. He believed in Marco Polo and solemnly promised that he would write about his experiences and pass them on to future generations. The prison surprisingly approved their request and was willing to provide necessary assistance. So, everyone in the Genoa prison began their distant journey to China with Marco Polo’s memories. And Rustichello was the recorder and writer of this oral history. The world-shaking Marco Polo’s Travels was born in a legendary way. Italian Sinology Institute – Stefania Staferti: Not many ordinary people knew about Marco Polo’s Travels, but at that time, ordinary people were not very familiar with all the books. However, Marco Polo became a part of the oral heritage, passed down as an oral story, and became an entertainment program where storytellers were willing to tell their stories during market and rural gatherings. Of course, these may add, exaggerate, alter or innovate the content of the book at different times, which is far from the original content. Tell people that this book is called “Million Kings”. Of course, the million here does not refer to the number million, but rather to the story in the book being exaggerated. Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254, into a wealthy merchant family. He had little parental companionship during his childhood. When Marco Polo was six years old (1260 AD), his father Nicholas and uncle Mafio decided to leave Venice to develop the Asian market. Marco Polo was raised by his mother and was educated to become a businessman like his father. When Marco Polo was fifteen years old, his father returned to his hometown of Venice with enormous wealth and countless magical stories. It can be imagined how Marco Polo yearned for the East described by his father and uncle, as he wanted to go there. Despite the extremely difficult management of passersby, he particularly wanted to go to China because his father told him about China’s wealth and its rulers, the Great Khan. In 1271, Nicholas and Mafio decided to travel to Asia again. This time, they brought Marco Polo with them. At this time, Marco Polo was seventeen years old, able to speak four languages and proficient in all the skills that a businessman should possess. The appearance of Mongolian cavalry in the 13th century shocked the whole world. After the rise of Genghis Khan, with the continuous expansion of the Mongolian regime, an unprecedented and massive empire began to emerge. Many ethnic groups living on the vast land from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Danube River in the west have become subjects under its rule. Kublai Khan, like the fifth great Khan of Mongolia in 1260, declared himself the Great Khan and changed the name of Mongolia to Yuan in 1271. Kublai Khan’s influence on China is not only reflected in his conquest of territory, but also in his successful governance. Yuan Liu Guandao’s painting of Yuan Shizu’s hunting trip is now in the collection of the Taipei Palace Museum. Many rulers before him crazily expanded their territory and were very cruel to the conquered. However, in the early stages of Kublai Khan’s rule, the political and cultural models of the Central Plains were adopted. Kublai Khan embraced the religious beliefs of his new subjects, and because of his tolerance, he established a link of communication between him and his people. Li Gong’an, President of the Chinese Yuan History Association: During the Kublai Khan era, the entire Yuan Dynasty was mostly open. It adopts tolerance towards multiple cultures and does not engage in too strict cultural authoritarianism. The oldest book about Marco Polo’s travels is handwritten. At that time, there were no printers in the West. The library of the Marciana Museum houses a handwritten book about Marco Polo’s travels from around 1300 years ago, titled “The Wonderful World in Marco Polo’s Eyes”. The Travels of Marco Polo is currently housed in the National Library of France. This book is a French translation by a French king and is accompanied by rich illustrations. When Marco Polo followed his father and uncle on his journey, they first went to see the Pope. Because Khan demanded that they bring a hundred missionaries to China. However, due to the reputation of the Mongols, the Pope did not dare to put his people in danger. Therefore, he wrote a letter to Kublai Khan and sent two monks to set off with them. When they arrived in Armenia, they found out that Armenia had been occupied by foreign invaders. The two fellow monks were very afraid of this situation and decided to stop moving forward and turn back. Nikolai, Mafio, and Marco Polo, not intimidated by difficulties, continued to move forward. They passed through various parts of Persia, crossed the Pamir Plateau, known as the roof of the world, and entered the southern region of present-day Xinjiang. After passing through Kashgar (Kashgar), Yaerkan (Yerqiang), Hutan (Hotan) and other places, we began to cross the terrifying Lop Nur Desert. The harsh environment has put Marco Polo and his team to the most brutal test. The temperature rises day and falls night, extremely abnormal. In the sandstorm, they, like other business travelers, had a terrifying illusion that the desert was the home of many terrifying ghosts. They play tricks on business travelers, causing them to hallucinate and fall into the abyss of destruction. These ghosts sometimes transform into business companions during the day, calling out their names and trying their best to guide them away from the right path. Some people, as they pass by this place, see a fully armed army coming towards them, which is also the transformation of the ghosts. In order not to be robbed, these people ran away, but lost their way and tragically starved to death. The Site of the Yuan Dynasty Shangdu Capital In 1275, Zhenglan Banner, Xilingol, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Marco Polo and his party finally arrived at Xanadu City of the Yuan Dynasty after more than three years. In 2012, the the Site of the Yuan Dynasty Shangdu Capital in today’s Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia, as the best preserved and earliest capital city of the Yuan Dynasty, was included in the World Cultural Heritage List because of its unique urban structure. Professor Wei Jian from Renmin University of China: Our current location is the southern gate of the Yuan Dynasty Palace City, which is the Imperial Gate. To the south, facing the Imperial Gate is the Mingde Gate, which is a central axis of Yuan Shangdu. Enter from Mingde Gate to Yutian Gate, and from Yutian Gate to Da’an Pavilion. In 1275 AD, when Marco Polo and his father and uncle arrived at the capital city, they probably entered through the Mingde Gate, passed through the imperial city, and arrived at the gate of the palace, under the Heavenly Gate. They entered through the Heavenly Gate and then went to the main hall, which was the Da’an Pavilion, to meet Kublai Khan. So, Marco Polo said that the marble palace was very beautiful, with all the rooms painted with gold and various birds, animals, flowers, and trees. The craftsmanship was extremely exquisite, the technology was excellent, and it was enough to entertain people’s minds. There were many descriptions about the Da’an Pavilion, which wrote about this magnificent palace. There is a magnificent palace in the city, with all the halls and rooms gilded and painted with various birds, beasts, flowers, and plants. The palace is surrounded by walls, with fountains, canals, rivers, and grass inside. There are wild animals, but not wild beasts. Marco Polo received an audience and gained trust from Kublai Khan during his stay in the capital, and as a result, they were respected by the courtiers. Kublai Khan sent him to various parts of the country to carry out missions, and even to hold important official positions. These stories were later told by him to Rustichilo. He first went to Hanbali, which is now Beijing. We can still find the buildings built by Kublai Khan from the satellite images of the Forbidden City. In 1272, after the establishment of the country as the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan declared Khan Bali as the capital and named it Dadu, becoming the two major cities of the Yuan Dynasty on par with Mudu. During his time in Khan, Marco Polo saw many things he had never seen before, and what caught his eye the most were the diversity of goods and the design of the city. All the houses are square, arranged neatly, like a chessboard, and no word can express its grandeur. Italian Embassy Ambassador to China – Alberto Badani: After all, Marco Polo was a pioneer in history, and he not only brought benefits to his contemporaries. Information and new experiences about new places, and the discovery of a new world rich in philosophy and civilization. So, Italians who come to China now will feel like little Marco Polo. Everything in this city is difficult to see elsewhere. Similar to India, there are precious stones, pearls, various medicines, and spices here. There are more goods here than anywhere else in the world, with over a thousand horses carrying goods every day, such as silk, goldware, and various handicrafts. Researcher Liu Xiao from the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Recent research suggests that Marco Polo is highly likely to be a color merchant around Khan Kublai Khan. This type of color merchant had a specific title during the Yuan Dynasty, called Wutuo. As a mediator around Khan Kublai Khan, Marco Polo often sent envoys to various places to earn economic benefits for the Khan, while also undertaking some special missions of the Khan. When Marco Polo left Dadu for the south, he passed by the Yongding River and saw the Lugou Bridge, which left a deep impression on him and vividly depicted the Lugou Bridge. This bridge is 300 steps long and over 8 steps wide. Even if 10 people on horseback ride side by side on the bridge, they won’t feel cramped. This bridge has 24 arches, supported by 25 piers, and its construction technology is very advanced. There are also beautiful stone pillars carved with stone lions on the bridge, each spaced 1.5 meters apart. There are marble railings with various carvings between the pillars. Professor Zhang Fan from Peking University: Because he is a businessman and the one who used to live in the water city of Venice with many bridges. He came to China and is very concerned about bridges. Lugou Bridge is a bridge that he described in detail. He often writes about how many bridges there are in this city. That is to say, and sometimes he writes too many numbers, which is a bit exaggerated. He may have remembered it wrong. So how did Marco Polo obtain this information. Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Liu Xiao: Marco Polo did not understand Chinese, which is indeed a fact. However, according to his travelogues, Marco Polo should be proficient in Mongolian, Persian, Turkic, and even Arabic. It should be noted that in the upper class society of Mongolia at that time, Chinese was not a universal language. Many Mongolians and Semu people, when working in mainland China as officials, often had to communicate with the Han people through translation as a medium, so these were not problems for Marco Polo. The next location is Hangzhou. At that time, the fastest way to go south was to take the Grand Canal. After the downfall of the Southern Song Dynasty, in order to further strengthen the connection between the north and south regions, the Yuan Dynasty built the Jezhou River, Huitong River, and Tonghui River on the basis of the previous canals, so that the entire canal route from Hangzhou to Dadu was connected. Many people walked the entire Grand Canal, but Marco Polo was the first foreigner to complete the entire journey. He said that the water in the river is wide and deep, just like a big river, and it plays a good connecting role. Large ships loaded with goods can sail from Guazhou all the way to Hanbali City. Marco Polo visited cities in southern China multiple times along the Grand Canal and expressed sincere admiration for these prosperous cities and landscapes. When he arrived in Hangzhou, he was pleasantly surprised by the sight before him. The solemnity and beauty of this city were truly unmatched by other cities in the world. Moreover, the city is filled with beautiful scenery, making people doubt it as a paradise on earth. There is a lake within the city with a radius of 30 miles, surrounded by beautiful palace attics and unique structures that you have never seen before. There are no ten large squares or markets in the city, which can accommodate approximately 40000 to 50000 people every day. The street is located in front of the square, with a width of 40 steps, extending straight from one end of the city to the other. The street in front of the square that Marco Polo mentioned is actually the Imperial Street of Hangzhou during the Southern Song Dynasty. In March 2008, the Hangzhou Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute entered Zhongshan Middle Road to search for traces of the Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Street. After nearly 20 days of excavation, two dusty Southern Song imperial streets, located 2.2 meters underground near No. 112 Zhongshan Middle Road, have reappeared. Wang Zhengyu, Director of the Hangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province: When Marco Polo came back, he saw this section of the imperial street, which he called the main street at that time, and it is very likely that it is the special relic mainly made of stone slabs that we have discovered now. Through our excavation work, we have found several similarities between this section of the imperial street ruins and the street recorded by Marco Polo. The first is the material used in the entire building, which he preaches is made of stone and brick, and stone and brick are used for masonry. So our discovery is indeed that the entire main part of the Imperial Street was built with this stone slab, and the edges on both sides were mixed with stones and bricks. This part is the same. During the excavation, they discovered a complete stone, but according to Marco Polo’s description, it was a slate, and there was more evidence beyond that. Hangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology – Wang Zhengyu: The entire Imperial Street ruins have a width of nearly twelve meters, with drainage ditches on both sides, which is consistent with what Marco Polo saw. Also, because there are many rainy days in the Jiangnan region, drainage needs special consideration. Therefore, there are drainage ditches on both sides of it. The water from the drainage ditches on both sides ultimately flows into the Zhonghe River. This is also consistent with what Marco Polo saw back then. Marco Polo stayed in China for 17 years, and his footprints spread all over the country, from Mongolia in the north, Myanmar in the south, and Xizang in the west. Marco Polo’s travel notes showed Europeans the geography, people, and resources of Asia. Although Europeans at that time were already familiar with many products from Asia, Marco Polo was the first to tell where these products came from, and to describe in detail and under what culture these products were produced. Due to being away all year round, Marco Polo and his team were homesick and repeatedly requested Kublai Khan to return home, but they did not receive approval, so they had to wait. In 1291, the opportunity finally arrived. The grandson of Kublai Khan, the ruler of the Ili Khanate in Persia, Aruhun Khan, sent three envoys to the Yuan Dynasty after the death of his consort Buluhan, requesting to marry a girl of the same clan as Buluhan. Kublai Khan selected a girl named Kukuozhen from his tribe in Bukhan and sent a mediator to take her to Persia. Marco Polo and his team immediately realized that this was an excellent opportunity. They proposed to Kublai Khan that they were willing to escort Kuo Kuo Zhen because they were familiar with the path. This time, Kublai Khan agreed to their request. Marco Polo and his delegation began their journey back home. They set sail from Quanzhou Port, which Marco Polo referred to as the city of paulownia. In his book, Marco Polo also mentioned the city of Jatropha, the lighthouse of the Yuan Dynasty – the Wanshou Pagoda. In 1293, he arrived at the port of Hormuz in the Ili Khanate. In 1295, he returned to his long lost hometown of Venice. They have been away for over twenty years, and by this time Marco Polo was already forty-one years old. The news of their return quickly spread, and two days later, Marco Polo and his family dressed in splendid attire, held a banquet at home to entertain his relatives and friends. They took out the worn-out Mongolian robes they had worn when they returned and cut them open with knives. All the guests were shocked, and a large number of jadeite, rubies, garnets, and diamonds fell like magic, piled up on the table. Italian Venetian writer/historian – Alberto Toso Fey: The person who recorded the story of Marco Polo’s return to China was his first editor, Giovanni Mattista Ramsio. In 1559, in Lamusio’s “Voyage and Tourism,” the story of Marco Polo’s return to China was told to his family and descendants. Ramusio said that when the people in Genoa prison saw Marco Polo, no one treated him as a prisoner of war, but rather stepped down as a respected gentleman. In May 1299, Venice and Genoa reached a peace agreement, and Marco Polo and Rusticillo were released and returned home. A few months later, this book can be bought everywhere in Italy. Soon, this book was translated into other European language versions. When Marco Polo returned to Venice from prison, he and his books became famous. He had to constantly tell the Venetians about his legendary experiences. But many people have doubts about whether he has been to China, they think he told a big lie., Some people even envy him and accuse him of lying. At that time, no one could confirm his story, and the journey to China was too far and dangerous. The stars are constantly changing, and now people can come to China to see it firsthand. At the same time, many Chinese people also go to Italy and enjoy visiting the city of Venice where Marco Polo lived. People can judge for themselves which parts of Marco Polo’s book about China are true and which are false. After Marco Polo’s death, people’s evaluation of him was even worse. When people want to satirize and brag about this person, they will use their name to describe it. Ramsio, the first biographer of Marco Polo, wrote that at the carnival in Venice, there was an actor who disguised himself as a clown and claimed to be Marco Millionaire, always exaggerating everything. Two centuries after Marco Polo’s death, when printed books appeared, Marco Polo’s travelogues were widely spread in Europe, but people’s evaluation of him did not improve. At that time, the title of the book was changed to “Million Kings”. At this time, Europeans still remember how Genghis Khan’s cavalry crazily swept the world. It was difficult for them to understand how his descendants and subjects could create such a high level of civilization, build such great cities, and compare to the declining Venice, commerce was so prosperous. Li Gong’an, President of the Chinese Yuan History Association: Its information content exceeds all of the travelogues before missionaries entered China in the Middle Ages and before the 15th century. Therefore, his impact on the West is very great, especially for Europeans who were relatively backward in the Middle Ages and had a darker and more backward period. From Marco Polo’s travelogues, they also feel the same, vaguely seeing the highly developed economy and culture, another world of civilization. Before Marco Polo’s death, he still couldn’t forget his experience in China. In his old age, he sometimes wore Mongolian clothes to reminisce about his days in China. Walking through the Khan Palace or the bustling streets of Hangzhou. Marco Polo got married once and had three daughters. The will he left before his death is the only document that can prove his existence. Collected in the library of the Marcana Museum. Italian Venetian writer/historian – Alberto Toso Fey: When he felt his body gradually weakening, Marco Polo drafted his testament on January 9, 1923, and pressed a handprint on it. Now this is the only original document that can prove the existence of Marco Polo. The will states that his property will be left to his wife and three daughters respectively. We learned about his travels from his Mongolian servant Petro. One year later, Marco Polo passed away last year. Before his death, many friends advised him to delete the incredible things described in his notes if he wanted to go to heaven. But he proudly said that what I have written is not half of what I have truly seen and heard. No one doubts Marco Polo’s will, but even now, there are still people who hold a skeptical attitude towards his travelogues. In 1995, Wu Fangsi, the director of the China section of the British Library, published a book called “Has Marco Polo Been to China?” She believed that the travelogue mentioned by Marco Polo about his trip to China was a plagiarism of records from other travelers. Her book has sparked a huge controversy in the field of history. For example, Marco Polo wrote that he participated in the Battle of Xiangfan and helped the Mongolian army make stone throwing machines, which he used to defeat the defenders of the Southern Song Dynasty. But the Battle of Xiangfan ended in February 1273. According to records, Marco Polo and his team arrived in China after a period of time after the end of the Battle of Xiangfan. Liu Xiao, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: As for Marco Polo’s mention in his travelogue that the stone throwing machine he saw in the Battle of Xiangfan was a fabrication by Marco Polo, because when the Battle of Xiangfan broke out, Marco Polo had not yet arrived in China. Moreover, historical records clearly state that the stone throwing machine was manufactured by people from the Western Regions such as Yisimain and Alowatin, and had nothing to do with Marco Polo himself. This undoubtedly indicates that Marco Polo had a lot of self proclaimed elements in his travelogues. There are many inaccuracies in Marco Polo’s Travels, but his descriptions of many places such as the Lugou Bridge are very accurate. Whether Marco Polo came to China or not seems to be a topic of eternal debate in the West. The ancient book “One Million Kings” by the Italian National Library, Venetian writer/historian Alberto Toso Fey: According to our current knowledge, Marco Polo’s records of China are much more accurate in recording material life and economic conditions than in describing political situations and social and cultural phenomena. This can be understood as, like his Mongolian rulers, he did not truly integrate into Han Chinese society, or he did not see what he was saying at all, just heard of it from others. We also need to consider that the first version of Rustichello’s manuscript is no longer available. The ancient version of “Million Kings” is like this one, which is all handwritten and written in Latin. It currently exists in the library of the San Marcana Museum. People who copy may make some mistakes or make changes and evaluations. Several hundred years after Marco Polo’s return to Venice, in the late 14th century, European map makers only resumed using Marco Polo’s books to obtain information. The famous Abraham Christian family created a map for the French king, which marked some of the places mentioned by Marco Polo on the Catalan map. Due to conflicts between Christians and Muslims, the Land Silk Road connecting Europe and Asia was interrupted. Italian Sinology Institute – Stefania Staferti: At that time, people’s interest in China was growing day by day. At the same time, the Portuguese discovered the New World in the 15th century, and in the 14th and 15th centuries, people developed a great interest in unknown areas. All books that describe other worlds, such as Marco Polo’s books, have attracted a new group of readers. This group of readers read such books with a new and more scientific perspective, no longer believing that these books are fabricated legends, but rather realistic descriptions of the new world. Christopher Columbus, in order to continue commercial trade, Europeans began to explore maritime routes. During this period, there was a person who firmly believed in Marco Polo’s legendary experience, and he was Columbus. When he set sail from Spain, he brought two books, one was the Bible and the other was Marco Polo’s Travels. In the library of Seville, Spain, there is a handwritten copy of Marco Polo’s book by Columbus, on which he took notes. When Columbus landed on the American continent, he insisted that he had found China because he hoped to find the money mentioned in Marco Polo’s book. Nowadays, people can travel back and forth between Europe and China every day. Venice does not have a statue of Marco Polo because Venetians do not want to beautify a person. As an autonomous city, Venice’s success depends on the hard work of all merchants, not just one person. But Marco Polo was extremely special to Venice. Marco Polo Airport In Venice, Italy, Venetians named their airport Marco Polo Airport in memory of this great figure. Italian Embassy in China Ambassador – Alberto Badani: Venice is proud that Marco Polo was born here. Naming Venice Airport Marco Polo Airport not only means this, but also means that Venice Airport is a place where people go to the unknown world. Every time we leave Venice, even though we know where we are going, we look forward to discovering new worlds and things. When Marco Polo arrived in China, he also had the same feeling. The oldest Marco Polo statue is housed in the art gallery of Roman Bishop Battia. This portrait was created by an artist in the early 16th century and he has never seen Marco Polo himself. Italian Venetian writer/historian – Alberto Toso Fey: There is currently no real portrait of Marco Polo, created by him two centuries after his death, based on imagination by artists, and cannot be considered a true portrait of Marco Polo. The same issue also arose on his tomb, and based on his will, we generally speculate that he was buried in the Church of Saint Lorenzo. We searched for his tomb in and around the church, but to this day we have found nothing. We can only speculate that his tomb has disappeared with history. So to this day, we still don’t know what Marco Polo looked like, nor do we know where he was buried, only his book remains. Although some people still doubt whether Marco Polo had been to China, the vast majority of scholars believe that it is not very meaningful to dwell on whether Marco Polo had been to China. What is important is that the era in which Marco Polo lived, the dynasty established by the Mongols, had an extremely profound impact on China and even on the world’s transition into modernity. Marco Polo’s writings were written 700 years ago, but his spirit still shocks people’s hearts, inspiring them to constantly explore new things, and encouraging more and more people to work together to promote communication and cooperation between the East and the West, creating a harmonious world. Marco Polo is not only an envoy of economic and cultural exchanges and people friendly relations between China and Italy, but also belongs to the world and all humanity. 90 Seconds in History: During the reign of Emperor Tuotuo, who had been idle for more than five years, the Yellow River broke and flooded multiple times, causing displacement and a surge in refugees. Social unrest intensified, and the flooding of the canal and salt fields posed a serious threat to the economic lifeline of the Yuan Dynasty. In 1349, with the support of Emperor Tuotuo, who had been idle for more than five years, began to govern the Yellow River. In April 1351, Tuotuo recruited a large number of migrant workers and military soldiers to dig a new 280 mile river channel, which led to the merging of the Huai River into the sea in the eastern part of the Yellow River. Due to the tight work schedule, officials took advantage of the opportunity to cheat, and the suffering of the people became increasingly severe. In 1350, the Yuan Dynasty began to change the banknote law and print a new one. The issuance of paper money and new copper coins did not achieve the expected results, but instead quickly led to increased inflation, soaring prices, and public discontent. In 1351, a small-scale uprising occurred, Ultimately, it evolved into the Red Turban Army Uprising that swept across the country, completely burying over a hundred years of rule of this dynasty.
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