Marco Polo was one of the world's most famous explorers (探险家) . He was born in Venice, Italy in 1254. When he was 17 years old, he went on a trip to Asia that lasted 24 years. Marco Polo's travel later influenced many people.
In 1271, Marco Polo left Venice with his father and uncle and set out for Asia. The purpose of their trip was to meet with Kublai Khan who ruled a large part of Asia. On their way to meet the king at his palace in China, they traveled trough much of the Middle East and Central Asia. In 1275, they finally arrived at the palace of Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan grew to like Marco Polo very much. In fact, he liked him so much that he wanted Marco Polo to work for him. So, the king sent Marco Polo to different places in China, India and Burma. Marco Polo stayed in China with Kublai Khan for 17 years. Over that time, he collected many jewels and lots of gold
Marco Polo returned to Venice with his father and uncle in 1295. People often went to Marco Polo's home to hear stories about his travels. He became a great storyteller. Marco Polo was known as "the man with a million stories". He later met a writer who was crazy about his stories. The writer liked them____so much that he wrote a book about Marco Polo's travels
The book about Marco Polo's travels taught Europeans about places in Asia they knew little about. The book also taught people about the geography of Asia. Some of these people were explorers who used the information in Marco Polo's book on their own journeys. The best known of these explorers was Christopher Columbus.
