Transcript of History Channel’s show on KublaiKhan
Beijing—capital of China, the country with the largest population on earth. Beijing is one of the world’s great cities and it was made capital of China by a great man. That man was Kublai Khan. Kublai declared himself “Great Khan,” the supreme ruler of the Mongol empire at his palace of Xanadu in 1260. His main interest was in China where he reigned until 1294 and founded the Yuan Dynasty. This meant he also became a major figure in the history of China.
“Kublai Khan was an extremely significant figure in the course of Chinese history, because he was the first significant non-Chinese ruler to rule over the entire Chinese empire; and, more than that, had aspirations, in effect, to try to rule the entire world.”
Kublai Khan was the grandson of the legendary Mongol warlord, Genghis Khan, who carved out a vast empire across Asia and the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century. Like his grandfather, Kublai crushed his enemies with brute force; yet he ruled his own lands peacefully, setting up governments, creating systems of taxation and promoting culture and commerce. He made Beijing the capital of the biggest empire the world had ever seen, stretching from the shores of the China Sea to the river Danube in Europe and from Siberia to the Indian Ocean. But his greatest achievement was the unification of China, a unification that survives to this day; and, although he reigned over 700 years ago, his story is one that still has great significance.
“The reason why Kublai Khan is of interest today is because Kublai Khan ruled a great multi-cultural society, a great multi-cultural empire, and he presided over a global economy. And this was globalization in the—in the Middle Ages. And, again, his empire incorporated many, many different cultures and peoples and he was able to unify them, bring them together and do so successfully.”
So Kublai Khan was clearly a man of vision, but what else do we know about him? The Venetian traveler Marco Polo, who lived in Kublai’s court for more than 20 years, described him as a man of middle height with a figure of just proportion and a face that was somewhat red, which may have resulted from his love of food and alcohol. But he was also capable of extreme violence, barbarity and cruelty. He carved out his great empire with one battle after another; and, even though his military career started quite late in his life, his skill in combat was second to none. But there was another, very different side to his character. Throughout his reign, the Wise Khan—as he was known—courted the most sophisticated, intellectual, scientific and artistic minds of the day. And he was very practical, recognizing the benefits that freedom of trade and effective taxation would bring.
“In terms of practical changes, one of the big things you would have seen if you lived through his rule was a massive increase in public works. For instance, China’s canal system was increased during his time through massive use of forced labor, forcing his enemies and those who opposed him to build his empires glory. This allowed grain and other important agricultural goods to be transported up and down the country much more conveniently without having, for instance, to use the often slightly dangerous pirate-ridden seas on the Chinese coast. Another innovation of the period, and one that would have great significance later, was the introduction of paper currency—banknotes.”
Kublai Kahn is a ruler with a mixed reputation. Some people look at him as a ruler who stormed his way into China uninvited, a pest or intruder. Others say he grew China’s power and legacy through incorporating Europeans like Marco Polo and Africans like Ibn Battuta into his courts. It is not mixed opinion that his empire was one of the largest the world has ever seen.