Marco Polo

:This article is about the Venetian explorer. For other uses, see Marco Polo (disambiguation)

Did the trip really take place?

According to a famous story, a priest begged Marco on his deathbed to confess that he had lied in his stories. Marco refused, insisting, "I have not told half of what I saw!". This anecdote is an example of the skepticism that welcomed Marco's tales during his life.

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In recent times, while most historians believe Marco Polo did reach China, some have proposed he did not get that far and only retold information he had heard from others. Those skeptics point out that among other omissions, his account fails to mention Chinese writing, chopsticks, tea, foot binding or the Great Wall. Also, Chinese records of the time do not mention him, despite the fact that he claimed to have served as a special emissary for Kublai Khan—which is puzzling, given the careful record-keeping in China at that time.

Related Topics:
Chinese writing - Chopsticks - Tea - Foot binding - Great Wall - Kublai Khan

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On the other hand, Marco describes other aspects of Far Eastern life in much detail: paper money, the Grand Canal, the structure of a Mongol army, tigers, the Imperial postal system. He also refers to Japan by its Chinese name "Zipang" or Cipangu. This is usually considered the first mention of Japan in Western literature. However, it is possible that Marco heard of these things from Arab silk road traders. Trade between the Middle East and Far East was flourishing and travellers are often happy to retell stories of their ventures in great detail.

Related Topics:
Paper money - Grand Canal - Tiger - Zipang - Japan - Silk road

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In his defense, much of what he did not mention is circumstantial and there are no known arguments today to refute any of the descriptions he wrote about.

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Marco Polo is also believed to have described a bridge that later was the site of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, a battle that marked the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).

Related Topics:
Marco Polo Bridge Incident - Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

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