The Spread of Civilization in East and Southeast Asia

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THE SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

Traveler's Tales

In 1271, Marco Polo set off on a journey to China. While there, he served the emperor Kublai Khan and went on several missions for him. Later, as a prisoner of war in Europe, Polo dictated the story of his travels to a fellow prisoner. The story was published as The Travels of Marco Polo. The following excerpt describes his travels to western China. * As you read the selection, imagine what it would be like to describe a world that no one else you know has ever seen. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, answer the questions that follow.

From The Travels of Marco Polo

able city named Gouza. .. . The inhabitants in general live by commerce and the manual arts. They have manufactures of gold tissue and the finest kind of gauze... .

From the city of Gouza it is a journey of ten days through Cathay to the kingdom of Ta-in-fu.... A considerable trade is carried on here, and a variety of articles are manufactured, particularly arms and other military stores.. . ,

For three months every year Kublai Khan lives in the capital of Cathay, at Khan-balik, where he has a great palace. It is surrounded by a square wall, each side of which is a mile long. The wall is very thick and ten paces high, painted white .... The walls inside are covered with silver and gold and there are paintings of horsemen, dragons, and every kind of bird and animal. The vaulted ceiling is also entirely covered with paintings and gold ornamentation. The main reception room can seat more than 6,000 people. There is an overwhelming number of rooms; no architect in the world could have

designed the palace better. The roof is beautifully painted in many colours—vermillion [bright red], green, glue, yellow and so forth—so that it shines like a jewel and can be seen from afar. This roof is solidly built to withstand the passage of time. ... Between the inner and outer walls are parks planted with beautiful trees, where white harts [type of deer], musk deer, squirrels and many other animals live. ...

Source: The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, trans, and ed. William Marsden (Doubleday and Co., 1948).

Upon leaving the capital and traveling ten miles, you come to a river named Pulisangan, which discharges itself into the ocean, and is

navigated by many vessels entering from thence, with considerable quantities of merchandise. Over this river there is a very handsome bridge of stone, perhaps unequalled by another in the world. Its length is three hundred paces, and its width eight paces; so that ten men can, without inconvenience, ride abreast....

After having passed this bridge, proceeding thirty miles in a westerly direction, through a country abounding with fine buildings, amongst vineyards and much cultivated and fertile grounds, you arrive at a handsome and consider-

Questions to Think About

1. What did Marco Polo do for Kublai Khan?

2. What cities does Marco Polo describe in this
excerpt? What did he see in those cities?

3. Draw Conclusions How do you think Marco
Polo's book influenced European thinking
about China?

4. Activity Scholars debate whether Marco Polo actually visited the places he described. Research and read about some of the other travels of Marco Polo. Write a short persuasive essay explaining why you think Marco Polo did or did not see the places he described in your reading.

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