MarcoPolowasborninItalyin1254.Whenhewas17yearsole,hetraveledacrossEuropeandAsiawithhisfather,whowantedtodotradewiththeChinese.EventuallytheyarrivedinBeijing.Atthattime,ChinawasruledbytheYuanDynastyEmperor,KublaiKhan.

　　KublaiKhanwelcomedMarcoandhisfather.HewasveryhappytomeettwoforeignersandwantedtolearnallaboutEurope.MarcoandhisfatherwereguestsattheEmperor’sPalace.AlthoughMarcowasyoung,hewasverycleverandcouldalreadyspeakfourlanguages.TheEmperorwasimpressedbyhimandtheybecamefriends.HeaskedMarcotoserveinhiscourtandsenthimtodomanyimportanttasksacrossthecountry.

　　Marco,inturn,wasamazedbyhowbeautifulandpowerfulChinawas.HewasveryimpressedbyBeijingandtheEmperor’sPalace,especiallytheSummerPalacewhichhedescribedas“Thegreatestpalacethateverwas…ThewallswerecoveredingoldandsilverandtheHallwassolargeitcouldeasilyseat6,000peoplefordinner.”

　　TherewereinventionsanddevelopmentsinChinawhichwerenotavailableinEuropeatthattime.MarcowassurprisedtoseeChinesepeopleusingpapermoneyinthemarkets.InEurope,peoplepaidforgoodswithgoldorsilver.Hecouldnotunderstandhowpeoplecouldpayforfoodandvaluablethingswithpaper!Hewasalsoconfusedbytheblackstonespeopleusedtoburnforfuel.Theblackstoneswerecoal,butMarcohadneverseencoalbefore!

　　In1291,after17yearsofservicetotheEmperor,MarcoreturnedtoItaly.Hewasnowaverywealthyman.Notlongafterhisreturn,alocalwarbrokeoutnearhistown.Duringthewar,Marcowasthecaptainofawarshipbutwascaughtbytheenemyandputintoprison.However,MarcowasluckyenoughtomeetanotherprisonerwhoenjoyedlisteningtohisstoriesaboutChina.TheprisonerwasanauthorandhetookdictationwhileMarcotoldallhisstoriestohim.TheprisonerthenwrotethestoriesinabookcalledTheDescriptionoftheWorld,whichbecameoneofthebest-sellingbooksinEurope.

　　Althoughpeopleenjoyedreadinghisbook,manyofthemthoughthatMarco’sstoriesaboutChinaweretoofantastictobetrue.ButMarcoalwaysstoodbyhistales.Justbeforehedied,aged70,Marcowasaskedthequestion,”Wasitalltrue?”,towhichhereplied,”IhaveonlytoldahalfofwhatIsaw!”