Anne Collins - Amazing Explorers: B1 (Collins Amazing People ELT Readers)

c.12541324

the man who taught the world about China

I was the greatest European traveller of my time. I journeyed to China along the Silk Road , and lived there for many years in the service of Kublai Khan. I wrote a book about my travels which inspired Christopher Columbus.

I was born in the city of Venice, Italy, into a rich merchant family. My father and uncle were Niccol and Maffeo Polo, traders who bought and sold goods from different places around the world. At the time of my birth, Niccolo and Maffeo were away on a long journey, and didnt return to Venice until 1269. In those days, when traders made journeys, they often didnt come home for a long time. Sometimes they died on the way and didnt come home at all. My mother died when I was young, and I was looked after by other people in my family. But I didnt meet my father and my uncle until I was 15 years old.

My father and uncle told me wonderful stories about the amazing places theyd visited, and the people theyd met on their travels. In 1253, theyd sailed to Constantinople, an important city for traders from around the world. Theyd stayed there for six years, then theyd travelled east through many countries, eventually reaching the city of Bukhara, in the country now known as Uzbekistan. At that time, Bukhara was an important city on the famous Silk Road. Niccol and Maffeo stayed there for three years, trading their goods. Then they met an important official who was travelling to China to meet the great and powerful Mongol ruler of China, Kublai Khan. He invited my father and uncle to go with him to China, so they set off together along the Silk Road.

The Silk Road wasnt just one road, but a route made up of a number of roads between China and Europe. It was about 6,500 kilometres long, and hundreds of years old. It was very important for trade , because merchants used it to bring silk , spices , jewels and other goods from the countries of the East to Europe. The journey was long and difficult, and sometimes very dangerous. Travellers could be attacked by thieves or wild animals, or they could die from diseases. In order to protect themselves, merchants often travelled together in large groups called caravans. They rode on camels or horses, stopping from time to time along the way at places called caravanserais. Here they could find food and rest, and meet other travellers.

In 1264, after a long journey, my father and uncle arrived at Kublai Khans palace in the city of Khanbaliq (now known as Beijing). Kublai Khan was the grandson of the great Genghis Khan, and the most powerful man in the Mongol Empire . He was very pleased to meet Niccol and Maffeo, and asked them many questions about European countries. He wanted to know about these countries systems of politics and law, and their other traditions too. My father and uncle developed a good relationship with Kublai Khan, and traded successfully in China for two years. When they left, the Khan made them promise to return, and gave them a special gold passport. This would show people that they were under the Khans protection, so that nobody would hurt them. In addition, it meant that they would be offered food and a place to stay on their journey.

Kublai Khan was also very interested in the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church , who lived in Rome. He asked Niccol and Maffeo if they would take a letter to the Pope, and bring back a hundred priests to China who could teach mathematics and science. In addition, he asked them to bring oil from the famous Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Niccol and Maffeo promised to bring both the priests and the oil. As soon as they returned to Venice in 1269, they started to plan their return journey to China. I was very excited because theyd told me that theyd take me with them. We left Venice in 1271, and sailed south to Acre, a town on the Mediterranean Sea about 130 kilometres from Jerusalem. From there we travelled to the Church in Jerusalem, and got the oil.

Although we had the oil, getting the priests was more of a problem. The old Pope had died and a new one, Pope Gregory the Tenth, was now head of the Catholic Church. He sent us some letters to take to Kublai Khan, but he only sent two priests to go with us, not a hundred! Unfortunately, these priests found the journey very difficult, and quickly decided to go back home. We were worried that Kublai Khan might not be pleased with us if we arrived without the priests, but we decided to continue our journey. We travelled through the countries now known as Turkey, Georgia, Iran and Iraq, to Hormuz, where we were hoping to find a ship to take us to China. However, there was no suitable ship, so we continued our journey by land, along the Silk Road.