When in 1266 Kublai Khan invited Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, respectively father and uncle of the legendary Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo, to Dadu, present-day Beijing, it was driven largely by curiosity. As the first European guests of the ruler of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), they were questioned extensively about Europe.
A similar curiosity led the two on their return trip to China, when they brought the young Marco on his life-defining adventure to the mysterious East. No edition of The Travels of Marco Polo is deemed authoritative, and doubts linger around the truthfulness of his narratives. But his recorded experiences did inspire broad interest in the Far East back home. Christopher Columbus, for one, embarked on his explorations driven at least in part by Marco Polo’s book, a copy of which, with handwritten annotations, was among his belongings.
From the Yuan Dynasty on, Marco Polo’s name, along with those of Italian missionaries such as Giovanni da Montecorvino, Matteo Ricci and Giuseppe Castiglione, has inspired cultural exchanges and mutual understanding not only between China and Italy, but also between China and Europe. So much so that, when Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Beijing on Friday, during the latter’s visit, both leaders cited the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s journey to China as a hallmark of historical links between the two civilizations.
Indeed, the Polos’ China stories are fitting illustrations of what Beijing has been painstakingly promoting for contemporary international relations — mutual learning and mutual understanding. Marco Polo opened up a window for the West to know China. His recorded experiences in and with China are proof that, when it comes to cross-cultural relations, a healthy dose of innocent curiosity and respect can go a long way, and deliver lasting benefits.
The historical links between China and Italy have been closely associated with the storied Silk Road, whose modern incarnation is now at the center of multiple China-proposed initiatives of broad international cooperation. Significant parts of the Polos’ trips to and from China on land and at sea were largely along the Silk Road, the busiest routes of international commerce at the time, which Beijing is breathing fresh life into.
Mattarella, recalling Marco Polo’s dealings with China as an illustration of mutual learning, highlighted broader people-to-people exchanges as a means of building unity and preventing confrontation. Italy could play a similar role today as reaffirming friendly relations between China and Italy can set an example for broader Sino-European relations, which would have realistic significance as China and the European Union engage in strenuous negotiations to defuse an impending trade war.