馬可 波羅 - Marco Polo
English pronunciation: /ˈmɑrkoʊ ˈpoʊloʊ/ ( listen);
Italian pronunciation: [ˈmarko ˈpɔːlo])
(c. 1254 – January 8, 1324) was a Christian merchant from the Venetian Republic who wrote Il Milione, which introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned, and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married and had 3 children. He died in 1324, and was buried in San Lorenzo.
Il Milione was translated, embellished, copied by hand and adapted; there is no authoritative version. It documents his father's journey to meet the Kublai Khan, who asked them to become ambassadors, and communicate with the pope. This led to Marco's quest, through Acre, into China and to the Mongol court. Marco wrote of his extensive travels throughout Asia on behalf of the Khan, and their eventual return after 15,000 miles (24,140 km) and 24 years of adventures.
Their pioneering journey inspired Columbus[1] and others. Marco Polo's other legacies include Venice Marco Polo Airport, the Marco Polo sheep, and several books and films. He also had an influence on European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map.
探險成果：可查最早考察中國的歐洲人之一
時 間：始于1271年
在中世紀，當其他小夥伴還沉迷于彈子游戲時，馬可·波羅的父親和叔叔問他：要不要同他們一起騎馬從意大利旅行到中國。現在，讓我們看看真正不可思議的事吧：這個熱愛冒險的17歲男孩，竟然毫不猶豫答應了！
馬可說，在旅行中，他在沙漠裏仿佛聽到了死神的召喚。但是，當他到達龐大而輝煌的元大都（元朝首都）時，他覺得這一切都是值得的。因爲一切都那麽神奇：可以買東西的紙（幣）、色彩艶麗的紋身，像神話中獨角獸一樣的犀牛…
馬可把這次旅行寫成了一本很受歡迎的書《馬可·波羅游記》。後來，就是這本書喚起了另一名意大利青年的冒險精神，他就是：克裏斯多福·哥倫布。
馬可·波羅（Marco Polo，又譯馬可·孛羅、馬哥·波羅，1254年9月15日－1324年1月8日）是義大利威尼斯商人、旅行家、探險家。在中國元朝期間隨從他的父親和叔叔通過絲綢之路來到中國。
回到義大利之後，馬可·波羅在一次威尼斯和熱那亞之間的海戰中被俘，在監獄里口述旅行經歷，由魯斯蒂謙（Rustichello da Pisa）寫出《馬可·波羅遊記》（Il Milione）。但其到底有沒有來過中國卻引發了爭議。
