Einglish

World Tourism Museum

Journey in the Heavenly City: Exhibition in Memory of Marco Polo

A Memorable Trip

Footprints of Marco Polo

Marco Polo’s life journey spanned Eurasia, with his travels broadening people’s perception of world geography and altering the view of the world moulded by Christianity. Some European cartographers even took the world described by Marco Polo as the major reference when drawing maps. Many later scholars tried to restore the route map of his travel by studying The Travels of Marco Polo, and the textual research and studies about that are still on the way even today.

1254
Marco Polo was born in Venice
Travel to China
1271
In 1271, Marco Polo went to China by land with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo.
In 1275, Marco Polo arrived in Dadu (Beijing) of the Yuan Dynasty after his stay in Shangdu.
1275
Arrive at Dadu (Beijing)
Travel in China
1277
From 1277 to 1290, Marco Polo traveled in China and once visited Hangzhou.
1292
On the way home
Back to Venice
1295
In 1295, Marco Polo returned to Venice for the first time after being away from home for 24 years.
In 1295, Marco Polo returned to Venice for the first time after being away from home for 24 years.
1295
Back to Venice
Died after leaving a will
1324
In 1324, Marco Polo passed away after leaving his will.

A Legend of The Travels of Marco Polo

In the late Middle Ages, being prosperous, the two maritime republics of Venice and Genoa in the Italian region both boasted strong powers in competing for the control of maritime trade, which triggered a century long conflict. In 1295, Marco Polo returned to his hometown Venice after a 24-year tour, and then enlisted in the army to join the naval battle between Venice and Genoa. In 1296, Marco Polo was captured in the war and imprisoned in the prison of Genoa, where he met his cellmate Rustichello, to whom Marco Polo told his experiences in the East during his long days in prison. The first draft of The Travels of Marco Polo, Le Devisement du monde (meaning “description of the world”) was born under the pen of Rustichello on the oral account of Marco Polo.

In the prison of Genoa, Marco Polo tells his fellow cellmate what he experienced during his travels.

After Marco Polo was released from prison, the travel notes began to spread rapidly, and were copied and translated into many languages. Now there are more than 100 versions handed down, with the content of each version varies from each other. After more than 700 years of circulation, the part of The Travels of Marco Polo that we see here today comes from the Latin translation by the Friar Pipino in the 14th century. It was not until the 20th century that the story of Marco Polo really began to spread in China. Historians such as Zhang Xinglang and Feng Chengjun translated it into Chinese and studied it. Time flies, now in every corner of the world, we can still see the cultural traces left by Marco Polo and hear people talking about the stories from his travel notes. Because of the spread of The Travels of Marco Polo, he has become not only an ancient traveler, but also a symbol of world cultural exchanges.

Collection

Preamble to the Travels of Marco Polo (1924 edition, translated by Zhang Xinglang, Chinese)

Preamble to the Travels of Marco Polo (1924 edition, translated by Zhang Xinglang, Chinese)

The Travels of Marco Bolod(1936 edition, translated by Zhang Xinglang, Chinese)

The Travels of Marco Bolod(1936 edition, translated by Zhang Xinglang, Chinese)

The Travels of Marco Polo (1844 edition, English)

The Travels of Marco Polo (1844 edition, English)

The Book of Ser Marco Polo (1929 edition, by Henry Yule, English)

The Book of Ser Marco Polo (1929 edition, by Henry Yule, English)

The Travels of Marco Polo (Le Devisement du Monde, French)

The Travels of Marco Polo (Le Devisement du Monde, French)

The First Volume of The Travels of Marco Polo (translated by FengChengjun, Chinese)

The First Volume of The Travels of Marco Polo (translated by FengChengjun, Chinese)

A Textbook of Marco Polo (1982 edition)

A Textbook of Marco Polo (1982 edition)

The Biography of Marco Polo (Korean)

The Biography of Marco Polo (Korean)

The Travels of Marco Polo (Mongolian)

The Travels of Marco Polo (Mongolian)

An English Book for Middle School Students of Marco Polo (1981 edition)

An English Book for Middle School Students of Marco Polo (1981 edition)

A Picture Book of The Adventures of Marco Polo (English)

A Picture Book of The Adventures of Marco Polo (English)

The Travels of Marco Polo (1982 edition, Italian)

The Travels of Marco Polo (1982 edition, Italian)

A Book from Library for Primary School Students in the Republic of China - Marco Polo

A Book from Library for Primary School Students in the Republic of China - Marco Polo

The Travels of Marco Polo (1930 edition, published in the United States, English)

The Travels of Marco Polo (1930 edition, published in the United States, English)

A Picture Book of Marco Polo (German)

A Picture Book of Marco Polo (German)

A Comic Strip of Marco Polo

A Comic Strip of Marco Polo

Oriental Travelogue (1979 edition, Japanese)

Oriental Travelogue (1979 edition, Japanese)

The Travels of Marco Bolod(1979 edition, published by Taiwan Commercial Press, Chinese)

The Travels of Marco Bolod(1979 edition, published by Taiwan Commercial Press, Chinese)