Marco Polo

Marco Polo came from a Venetian family. He embarked on an amazing journey to China when he was only seventeen years old. He spent as many years in the service of the Great Khan and lived at the height of the Mongol Dynasty. During this period he learned about the organization of that distant country, its colossal public works, the postal system, the use of paper money and silk production. After returning to his homeland, from prison, where he was accidentally jailed, Marco Polo was able to tell of his fantastic experience, recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo, the Book of the Marvels of the World. He is considered one of the greatest travelers of the Middle Ages, and the one who 'discovered' China for Westerners.