Marco Polo: Description of Hangzhou

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: Medieval Asia was the object of intense curiosity in Europe, which sent explorers and missionaries into China, Mongolia, India, and other nations. Why do you think Asia held such fascination for westerners?
• 2.: What problems do contemporary historians face when confronted with a text that was written hundreds of years ago, before the development of the printing press? Speculate as to how the historian might separate fact from fiction in reading and interpreting such a text.
• 3.: During the medieval period the Christian church was bent on extending its reach in the world by converting people in far-flung nations to Christianity. In your opinion, were church authorities interested entirely in saving souls, or did they have other motives?
• 4.: What differences between European culture and Chinese culture did Marco Polo observe? Which Chinese practices did he approve of? Which did he condemn and why? Overall, what was Polo’s attitude to China and its culture?
• 5.: The Travels of Marco Polo was as much an adventure tale as it was a sober, factual account of the author’s observations of China. In this respect, it bore similarities to the adventurous, chivalric romances that were common in the medieval period. What characteristics of an adventure tale do you see in the document? Why would the accounts of travelers at that time have taken on characteristics of adventure tales?