Marco Polo's Travel through Asia - Case Study Example

Did Marco Polo tell lies about his travel through Asia? Marco Polo has been regarded as one of the greatest travelers in the world that opened the doors for innovation and modernization of the Western Culture. His journey through Asia that lasted for more than two decades provided him the knowledge and skills to develop new industries that are unknown at the time in his native Venice. His 1298 book The Travels of Marco Polo, which described the fascinating stories about the culture and people of Asia, influenced not only his fellow travelers, but historians, and the whole world as well. Although a huge part of the European population was skeptic about his claims at the time, he was still considered as a hero and shaper of the future (Berggren 339-342). However, recent documentaries and books exposed controversies claiming that Marco Polo told lies and has never been really gone to Asia specifically in China. Different points are being considered and the debate goes on after seven decades of accepting Polo’s tales as solid truths. So did Marco Polo really go to China? Are the facts he wrote in his travel books the truth or mere imaginations, stories he heard from other people or information read from published texts that our schools recommend to students? One can argue that Marco Polo’s great stories are only fictitious tales. There are a lot of absurd events, loop holes and perplexing ideas in his anecdotes that will surely doubt his credibility entirely. He speaks of encountering men bearing the physical characteristics of dogs. He talks about how wealthy Japan is and describes the roofs and floors of houses there being sheathed in gold yet he never went to that nation. Because of his strange and unbelievable stories, many historians had reservations with Polo’s claims (Grant 21). According to Frances Wood (96-100), Polo most likely did not make it beyond the Black Sea. She argues that the famous traveler might have settled in Persia and contrived his China visits with pieces of information gathered from Persians and Arabs that frequent the county. In an interview written in United Kingdom’s The Telegraph, Wood reiterates that “There’s nothing in the Venetian archives to say that the Polo family had direct contact with China at all… Nothing from China has ever been found in the possessions they left behind…” “One theory is that Marco Polo copied a sort of guide book on China written by a Persian merchant. Only about 18 sentences in the entire manuscript are written in the first person – it is extremely rare for him to say - I saw this with my own eyes” (Squires). She furthers “that rather than being one person’s account, it’s a sort of medieval database of European knowledge of the Far East at the time” (Squires). In addition, Archeologists noted that Polo was able to describe details about architectures and structures that he sees around the exotic land but failed to mention the most obvious things that one can immediately observe in China. He never reported the existence of the celebrated Great Wall, a pronounced structure built several years ahead which travels extensively in China and signifies its strength and authority over enemies and barbaric neighboring territories. Moreover, Polo was not able to remark ordinary customs and traditions of the East such as the binding of women’s feet, chopsticks and tea drinking. Even the art of calligraphy, or the intricate way of writing of the Chinese during that era, was never included in the traveler’s musings about the country (Grant 21). Naturally, one must realize that Polo’s travel book was created some time after his journeys so it is reasonable that he cannot recount every little detail of his experiences. Qualms over Marco Polo’s apparent activities in political affairs grew strong as his name was not indicated in the Annals of the Empire or Yuan Shih, a kind of documentation where names of foreign visitors are inscribed. Surely, a foreigner with a significant alliance with the powerful Mongols must easily find his way in East Asia history and politics. Another point of doubt is his purported closeness and friendship with Kublai Khan. Polo claimed that he, together with his father and uncle, participated in the Battle of Xianyang, but the siege was actually arisen years before their arrival in China. Inconsistencies in his narration of Khan’s attempted conquest of Japan and 1274 and 1282 are also noted, with archaeologists maintaining that Polo mixes the details up between the expeditions of the two invasions. More so, the Venetian claimed that he ruled as a governor in Yangzhou for three years yet no account of his name in any Chinese records. This particular error can be explained by mistranslation of some words from the Yangzhou dialect that has been further interpreted several times throughout the years (Marco Polo). On the other hand, many scholars still believe that Marco Polo’s claims are factual and accurate. Modern historians clarified the questions raised by archeologists to support the legitimacy of Polo’s tales. Haw (56-57) noted that the Great Wall of China, although built some three hundred years before the birth of Christ, suffered extreme attacks for generations that the look that it presents today can be traced back from its major reconstruction in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty, a mere two centuries later of Polo’s travels. The Yuan Empire that ruled in the course of the Venetian’s stay in the region governs the north and south of the wall so there is no need for erecting defenses around the area. Other European travelers that happen to pass China during the same era, namely Giovanni de Marignolli and Odoric of Pordenone, never mentioned the existence of the Great Wall as well. Furthermore, historian correspondingly explained the omission of some important details from Polo’s accounts. The Venetian has a reason for not observing foot binding since this practice is only being done with ladies belonging to the upper class that are known to be confined inside their houses without the freedom to mingle with the average individuals. Only family members can interact with them and the public rarely see these women. Tea drinking was also said to be prevalent in the southern part of China, whereas the north and central provinces where Marco Polo resides are yet to enjoy the said drink (Alpha Galileo Foundation). Marco Polo was a traveler with a mission, a prayer to bring and apply the advance civilization that he learned from the Far East to his native Europe. The exclusion of some details regarded as significant might be worthless for him. Mike Edwards, a former correspondent of the National Geographic who followed the travel path of Marco Polo, recounted that the Venetian’s journeys across Asia as told in his book “are fundamentally accurate, whether hes crossing Central Asia or central China.” The map that one can draw out of his trips is impressively perfect but then again no one can attest that he copied this information from other sources. Also, a number of explorations following Polo’s Silk Route verify the traveler’s annotations and strange observations that people from his era tried hard to believe. In his book, Polo described passing into a giant sand dune that made rumbling sounds. Later, explorers en route the Chinese desert found the Mingsha Dune, where whistles can be heard whenever the gusting wind touch solid granite that sits below the shifting sand. Similarly, explorers proved Polo’s claims of people who cross the river on rafts made out of pigskins to be true. Edwards further explicate on the other essential data that Marco Polo revealed in his musings, “And while its true that Polo is guilty of curious omissions, he expanded medieval Europes meager knowledge of Asia with such hitherto-unknown names as Cipangu, Java, Zanzibar and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), besides identifying Chinas great cities and describing such features as the Takla Makan Desert and the Yangtze River. Having followed Polos tracks, I know firsthand that he also got many things right, such as: both lapis lazuli and rubies are found in the Badakhshan region of Afghanistan; in Chinas southwest a minority people eat raw flesh; people in Sumatra and Sri Lanka make a joy juice from fermented palm tree sap”. Polo likewise reported about the Hindu customs he observed in India as well as other notable experiences he gathered along his journey. Moreover, Polo focused in choosing topics of substantial interest to him that could benefit his campaign for modernization in the Western region. He divulge about the use of paper money in commerce, a new concept of trading which has been rampant in China for centuries, acknowledge the prosperous industry of silk and spices and trading to India, Java and other parts of Asia (Edwards). The traveler then introduced the concept of burning coal, an element that he defined as large black stones that burns like charcoal. He presented the existence and use of porcelain, asbestos, gun powder and fireworks, things that our out of the ordinary that cynic Venetians thought of too much to grasp (Alpha Galileo Foundation). With all the evidences supporting Marco Polo’s claims of travelling to China and across Asia, I believe that he indeed came to Asia and dictated what he saw and learned through his book in a certain degree. The accuracy of the Silk Route, the culture, commerce, innovations and politics of China and the Far East that shaped his stories concretes this theory. Obviously, exaggeration on some parts envelops his claims; however it should be considered that the book was produced some twenty to thirty years after the actual events took place. The wealthy bank of information from Polo’s explorations are justifiably an enormous collection of essential and indispensable knowledge that may be too much for any man to fully and precisely recollect at any given time. I agree with the theory of some historians that Polo may have documented his experiences in a journal in the course of his trips, for the mind may not remember a two decades worth of adventure. Edwards is weighing the possibility of a diary written by Marco Polo as he considers, “He doesnt say he kept one, but a version of The Description that appeared in Venice in the 1500s, supposedly based on authentic manuscripts, declares that he brought home "writings and memoranda." And these, it is said, were shared with a writer who helped him produce his book. That person is identified at the beginning of the text as Rustichello of Pisa, whod been reworking some of the romantic stories of King Arthur, and whose writings had found their way into European libraries. According to Polo, he met Rustichello in a Genoa prison, into which Polo had been thrown after being captured in a sea battle between Venice and rival Genoa about 1298. Sounds like another tall Polo tale, but so far as scholars know, its true”. In addition, the possibility that Rustichello added some flair in his writing style in order to achieve a sense of quest and excitement in the narrative is strong. Biases and literary voyeurism is unavoidable in this case. Besides, 13th century Europe is known for mythical arrogance that characters in adventure stories often encompass. For example, the battle between Genghis Khan and the Christian ruler in Asia, Prester John, was accounted in Polo’s book that was said to take place in the 13th century. Several years later, historians substantiated that no Prester John ever existed around that time and he was only a product of Rustichello’s imagination. Then there is the story of Polo, together with his father and uncle, building huge catapults or rock launching apparatuses that helped the party of Kublai Khan to destruct and conquer the city of Xiangyang. Historians identified that period as the era of Khan’s invasion of the Song dynasty in 1273. Surprisingly, the Polo’s arrived in the region only after two years of the attack. Chinese and Persian historians recognize the episode but noted that Syrians under Khan’s leadership actually used the catapults in the battle. Marco Polo perhaps relate the story correctly but then Rustichello ruled that this is a crucial matter to be given emphasis and drama since tales about war and heroism are always favorable to the reading public. In another entry in Polo’s book, accurate material were laid down in describing the Venetian’s documentation of cannibals living in Sumatra, however, the presence of unicorns and other strange entities were also reported thriving in the island. Polo described the natives of Sumatra as men with tails, with heads shaped like dogs and possesses teeth and eyes of dogs as well. Researchers later found out that Polo never reached the said island and might have picked up the story from sailors who came to the Andaman Islands in Bengal Bay. Again, there is a chance that Rustichello might base the description from mythical creatures popular in Europe from the Middle Ages (Edwards). Nevertheless, Marco Polo’s book of exploration and hidden wealth of discoveries and innovations of the Far East momentously influenced historians, travelers, explorers, archeologists and even merchants and traders. New industries have been established, commerce was improved and the concept of modernization wrapped the European region brought about by Polo’s tales. The isolated culture of China was exposed and was recognized as one of the most advanced countries of its era. Conquests, battle tactics and the wrath of war in the East were documented in history which regarded the West as a leader of technology for a long time. The stories presented by Polo made the world to suddenly feel off balanced, confused of the abrupt change in the air of superiority and control among other territories. Plausibly, his fellow Venetians in the 13th century initially brushed off Polo’s claims as ludicrous called him a liar and a fictional storyteller not until the 18th century when most of the innovations that he described are finally proven factual (Lord). But then again, Marco Polo stated at the end of his book that he have only written half of what he saw and heard (Polo 45). Maybe the details that he decided to omit, which consequently seem significant to us today, are those things that he chose not to write about. I think that Polo only reported what he perceived as significant based on his goals in creating the book. I strongly believe that he is telling the truth and might describe and illustrate things or events metaphorically and figuratively. He was ahead of his time, a great man with immense visions that may be too much for ordinary people to comprehend. Yes, there are errors with dates, names or circumstance and we may never know the truth behind the exaggerations and embellishments in his book. Still, historical records on Khan’s conquests, Chinese culture and trading routes of East Asia support the core of Polo’s stories. Therefore, Marco Polo did tell the truth about his travels through Asia after all. Works Cited Alpha Galileo Foundation. Marco Polo Was Not a Swindler – He Really Did Go to China. University of Tübingen. 16 Apr 2012. Web. 14 Jul 2012. Bergreen, Laurence. Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu. London: Quercus. 2007. Print. Grant, John. “Corrupted Science”. Facts, Figures & Fun. 2007. Print. Haw, Stephen G. “Marco Polos China: a Venetian in the realm of Khubilai Khan”. Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia. Vol. 3. Psychology Press, 2006. Print. Lord, Lewis. “The Fabulous Fabulist: Did Marco Polo Really Make it to China?” U.S.News & World Report Inc. 24 Jul 2000. Web. 14 Jul 2012.  “Marco Polo: The China Mystery Revealed”. National Geographic. 2004. Television. Mike Edwards. “Wonders and Whoppers”. Smithsonian Magazine. Jul 2008. Web. 14 Jul 2012. Squires, Nick. Explorer Marco Polo never actually went to China The Telegraph. 09 Aug 2011. Web. 15 Jul 2012. Wood, Frances. Did Marco Polo Go to China? Westview Press (Perseus Books Group). 1996. Print. Read More