Status Updates From The Adventures of Marco Polo

The last section has helpful notes. The author describes current authors who are for Marco Polo and against Marco Polo. He talks about why the book is written in the style it has and why there is so much confusion. He talks about what Polo actual brought back. He also has notes for all the pictures in the book, noting where they came from and dates. He even mentions moderns who have tried to replicate the journey.

Ch. 7 Addresses objections of skeptics. The biggest objection is that he describes very little of the Chinese culture. It could be for many reasons: (1) Kublai Khan was Mongolian, not Chinese, and he did not trust them. (2) The Chinese pushed out the Mongols and a lot of records were destroyed. (3) They would have seen the Polos as barbarians. The manuscripts of the books are a hot mess, too.

Marco married and had three daughters and lived a fairly dull life. He has spent a total of 24 years of his live in travel so that makes sense. He was 41 and his father and uncle were in their 70s. Everyone had assumed they were dead. When he was thrown in prison in Genoa, he met a writer and that’s how the book was written. It became a phenomenon and lit up Europe.

Ch. 6 The two-year voyage home was even more fantastical. Due to war on the border, the Polos had to escort the Blue Princes to Hormuz to marry the ruler chosen for her. They traveled though Vietnam, Sumatra, and India. They had to survive pirates and deadly diseases and bad weather. When they arrived home, they looked like Mongoliam bums but it was a sham to protect the gems they had sewn into their clothing.

Ch. 5 Polo observed that Kublai Khan was interested in culture and how people lived so he made a point to observe. The khan did not trust Chinese advisors so he chose advisors of different nationalities and Marco Polo was one. While it’s likely, he exaggerated this part (far less than other medieval travel accounts). There is a grand canal linking Beijing and Hangzhou, That latter has many features linked to Quinsai.

The word concubine is used and the number of wives is four. However, the Bible has similar descriptions and the author does not go into details. A teacher of young children should answer questions only if they come up but in a developmentally appropriate way.

Ch. 4 The descriptions are so interesting and the illuminations are so well-done, it tempts me to buy a translation of Polo’s book with illustrations from his day and perhaps pictures from ours. Does such a thing exist? LOL

The description. comes across as a utopia, but the utopia permitted freedom of religion, which is usually suppressed. One of the illustrations is a map that is typical of medieval maps; The book describes the layout of the emperor’s summer capital in Mongolia (Shangdu). It did not stand the test of time and is an archaeological site now. It also describes the origins of Beijing which was called Daidu.

Ch. 4 The Polos finally meet the great Kublai Khan, the elderly grandson of Ghengis Khan, who put so much fear in the people of western Europe. In conquest mode, the Mongols were fierce. On the home front, he enabled his grandson to live in splendor. Polo described many advances which proved to be true, based on documents and artifacts--at the time, it seemed to fantastical.

Ch. 3 Freedman helps the reader (young readers) feel the enormity of the journey. With all the detours and setbacks, it took 3.5 years to travel 8,000 miles before they finally reach the court of the Great Khan. This chapter includes more recent illustrations and mentions that people today hear unusual sounds when crossing the Taklamakan desert.

Ch. 2 Some of the illustrations are from illuminated European and even Persian manuscripts. The pages have the appearance of an old document. This chapter tells of Marco’s childhood and the stories told by his father and uncle after a trip to Russia turned into a nine-year journey into the Mongolian Empire. The Germans’ impressions of the Mongols are contrasted with the reception of the Polos by the Khan.

Curriculum planning! The illustrations are evocative of the Middle Ages, so they are perfect. I love the idea of starting at the end of Polo’s life--he is on his death bed with friends, family, and faith leader begging him to confess his lies about his fantastical travels. He does not! That opens up the story to wonder and marvel and curiousity.