Marco Polo's Travels - Century

Author: (Italian) Marco Polo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Based on the personal experiences of Marco Polo, an Italian traveler who stayed in China under the Yuan Dynasty for nearly two decades in the late 13th century, he wrote "The Travels of Marco Polo" (also known as "The Description of the World" or "The Journey of Marco Polo"). This book is renowned in the West as a "wonderful book," and research on its author and the book itself has become an international, comprehensive field of study. In China, the book serves as an important resource and classic for the study of the history of Sino-Western exchanges, the history of multicultural exchanges among multiple ethnic groups, and the Yuan Dynasty. Due to its rich content, vivid plots, fluent and readable style, and engaging nature, it has been widely welcomed by readers. Since the early Republican era, there have been many Chinese translations of this book, with particular praise given to the translation by the renowned historian and translator Feng Chengjun. This edition is highly regarded for its careful and comprehensive selection of the version, the organic integration of translation and textual criticism, a style that combines literary quality and substance, and the rich and precise annotations, all of which greatly enhance the historical, reference, and reading value of the book. It has now been included in the "Century Library," benefiting scholars and readers alike. In the history of Sino-Western cultural exchange, the Italian traveler Marco Polo (Marco Polo, 1254–1324), who came to China over 700 years ago, is undoubtedly a pioneer. His book "The Travels of Marco Polo" is widely known and called one of the world's greatest "wonderful books." Today, the study of Marco Polo and his "Travels" has become an international, comprehensive discipline—Marco Polo Studies. The main content of "The Travels of Marco Polo" is a record of Marco Polo's travels in China, as well as his experiences in some countries and regions in West Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia. The book adopts a documentary style to narrate his observations in various parts of China, including the Western Regions and the South Sea, and records the politics, wars, court secrets, festivals, hunting, and other aspects of the early Yuan Dynasty. It particularly provides detailed accounts of the economy, culture, customs, and prosperity of major cities and commercial ports such as Dadu (Beijing), Xi'an, Kaifeng, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, and Quanzhou during the Yuan Dynasty.