INS Pau Vila
Building Bridges
Born into a noble family of Venetian merchants, Marco Polo began his long experience with Cathay (China) through the adventures of his father, Niccolo, and his uncle, Maffeo Polo, partners in a trading operation at a time when Venice was the world leader in foreign commerce. Marco Polo's father and uncle were well received in China by the Mongol prince Kublai Khan in 1266. The Polos impressed Kublai Khan with their intelligence and their knowledge of the world. In 1269 Kublai Khan sent them to Rome as his messengers with a request that the pope send one hundred Europeans to share their knowledge with him. When they went back to China, Marco Polo was taken along on the trip. The return to China, over land and sea, desert and mountain, took slightly more than three years. Kublai Khan welcomed the Polos back and again took them into his service. He became increasingly impressed with Marco Polo, who, like his father and uncle, demonstrated not only his ability to travel but also his knowledge of the Mongol language and his remarkable powers of observation.
Marco Polo's written aecounts of his travels were the first Western record of poreelain, eoal, gunpowder, printing, paper money, and silk; Polo wrote "Book of Ser Marco Polo" around 1298. ACTIVITIES
1. Colour Marco Polo's route and circle the different countries he visited.
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INS Pau Vila
Building Bridges
2. Answer the questions ~ Why was the Mongol prince Kublai Khan impressed wlth Marco Polo and his
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3. Do you think Marco Polo contributed to build bridges across cultures or lands ? Justify your answer.
4. Venice airport is called Marco Polo, why do you think it was given this name ?
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