Marco polo IN China 马可·波罗的中国传奇

Marco polo IN China

马可·波罗的中国传奇

王硕丰编著

China Intercontinental Press

Translated by Andrea Lee

中外文化交流故事丛书（Roads to the World)

顾问：赵启正沈锡麟潘岳

周黎明（美）李莎（加）威廉·林赛（英）

主编：荆孝敏邓锦辉

编著者：王硕丰

翻译：Andrea Lee（新加坡）

责任编辑：苏谦

设计指导：田林

封面绘画：李骐

设计制作：北京尚捷时迅文化艺术有限公司

图片：CFP Fotoe


Marco Polo in China

出版发行五洲传播出版社（北京市海淀区北小马厂6号邮编:100038）

电话 8610-58891281（发行部）

网址 www.cicc.org.cn

承印者北京外文印务有限公司

版次 2010年1月第1版第1次印刷

开本 720×965毫米 1/16

印张 10.25

定价 78.00元

图书在版编目（CIP）数据 ©

马可·波罗的中国传奇：汉英对照/王硕丰编著；（新加坡）李燕萍

（Andrea Lee）译.—北京：五洲传播出版社，2010.1

ISBN 978-7-5085-1714-8

I. ①马… II. ①王… ②李… III. ①马可·波罗（1245～1324）-生平

事迹-汉、英 ②文化交流-文化史-汉、英 IV. ①K835.465.89

中国版本图书馆CIP数据核字（2009）第199692号

前言 6 1. 少年梦想 9

2. 历险之旅 273. 大汗贵宾 41

4. 东方奇遇 61

5. 荣归家乡 1016. 狱中著书 117

7. 伟大的游记 135

目录

Foreword 4

I. Youthful Ambitions 8

II. A Journey Filled with Adventures 26

III. Honorary Guests of the Khan 40

IV. Exciting Encounters in the Orient 60V. A Glorious Homecoming 100

VI. Authoring a Book in Prison 116VII. A Great Travelogue 134

Contents

4

Foreword

It has been a long and exci t ing history of

tremendous cultural exchange between China and

other countries. In terms of culture, economy,

ideology, and personnel, these exchanges between China

and other countries can be dated back to the times of

Qin and Han dynasties—directly or indirectly, by land or

sea. The long-term and multi-faceted cultural exchange

helps the world to understand more about China and

the rest of the world, enriching the common wealth of

mankind—both materially and spiritually.

The book series entitled Roads to the World offers

the most splendid stories in the entire history of Sino-

foreign cultural exchange. We hereby offer them to

foreign students learning the Chinese language, and

to foreign readers who have a keen interest in Chinese

culture. These stories depict important personalities,

events, and phenomena in various fields of cultural

exchange between China and other nations, and among

different peoples. By reading the books, you may

understand China and Chinese civilization profoundly,

5

and the close link between Chinese civilization and

other civilizations of the world. The books highlight the

efforts and contributions of Chinese people and Chinese

civilization in the world’s cultural interchange. They

reflect mankind’s common spiritual pursuit and the

orientation of values.

This book is about the Italian traveler Marco

Polo, who had stayed in China for 17 years in the 13th

century. Marco Polo wrote his memoir of China in his

book, The Travels of Marco Polo, which became the

first book that introduced China to the Western world.

The book instilled in many Europeans an interest in the

Orient, and had a strong impact on the discovery of

new travel routes in the world. Marco Polo also became

a significant representative of early cultural exchanges

between the East and West.

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Marco Polo in China

前言

中国与其他国家、民族之间的文化交流具有悠久

而曲折的历史。在中国与外国之间，通过间接的和直

接的、陆路的和海路的、有形的和无形的多种渠道，

各种文化、经济、思想、人员方面的交流，可以上溯

至秦汉时代，下及于当今社会。长期的、多方面的交

流，增进了中国与其他国家、民族之间的了解，使人

类的共同财富（物质的和精神的）更加丰富。在当代

全球化语境之下，这种文化交流精神尤其有必要发扬

光大。

中外文化交流故事丛书（Roads to the World）的宗

旨，是从中外文化交流的历史长河中，选择那些最璀

璨的明珠，通过讲故事的方式，介绍给学习汉语的外

国学生和对中国文化感兴趣的外国读者。这些故事描

述中国与其他国家、民族在各个领域文化交流中的重

要人物、事件和现象，以使外国读者能够更深入地理

7


解中国，理解中国文明，理解中国文明与其他各文明

之间的密切关系，以及中国人和中国文明在这种交流

过程中所作出的努力和贡献，并尽力彰显人类共同的

精神追求与价值取向。

本书讲述意大利人马可·波罗于13世纪来到中

国，在中国各地游历17年，回国后口述完成《马

可·波罗游记》的故事。《马可·波罗游记》是西方

人感知东方的第一部著作，激起了欧洲人对东方的热

烈向往，对新航路的开辟产生了巨大影响。马可·波

罗也因此成为早期中西文化交流的重要代表人物。

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Youthful Ambitions

Marco Polo was born in 1254 in I ta ly ’ s famous city, Venice. His father Nicolo Polo and uncle Matteo Polo were merchants

and were out running their trade since Marco Polo was a little boy. Marco Polo lived with his mother, and had not once met his father, until he was 15 years old. At that time, Marco Polo’s mother had passed

马可·波罗的家乡——美丽的水上之城威尼斯

Marco Polo’s hometown,Venice—the beautiful water city.

I

9

少年梦想

1254年，马可·波罗(Marco Polo)出生在意大利有

名的商业城市威尼斯。他的父亲尼科洛·波罗（Nicolo

Polo）和叔叔马泰奥·波罗（Matteo Polo），都以经商

为生。在马可·波罗小时候，父亲和叔叔一直在外经

商，他和母亲一起生活，从没有见过父亲。直到15岁

时，父亲和叔叔才回到威尼斯家中。当时，马可·波

罗的母亲已经去世了，他和姑姑生活在一起。

那是1269年的一个上午，马可·波罗像平时一

样，正在他的房间里专心读书，忽然从隔壁传来姑姑

惊异的呼唤声。马可·波罗急忙来到姑姑的房间，看

到姑姑正在和两个陌生的男人有说有笑。姑姑见到马

可·波罗，马上把他拉到两个陌生人面前，指着其中

年纪稍长的那个人说：“孩子，这就是你日夜思念的

父亲!”

1

Marco Polo in China

10

away and he was living with his aunt.Marco Polo would remember that particular morning

in 1269, when the excited shrills of his aunt next door drew him away from his studying. He rushed into his aunt’s room and saw her chatting merrily with two men, whom he had never met. When his aunt saw him, she immediately introduced the two men to him, and while pointing to the slightly older man, she said, “Boy, he is your father, whom you’ve been thinking night and day!”

Marco Polo prided himself to be a young man of considerable inner strength, and he hardly cried when facing obstacles. However, at that very moment, he was unable to restrain his emotions. He fell into his father’s arms, and broke into tears. Here he was, the father that he had met for the first time in 15 years. For the past 15 years, all he could do was to stand at the coast, hoping in vain for the ship carrying his father to fall into sight. While all he could do before was to imagine how his father might look, now he could finally take into view his father’s face.

Nicolo Polo was equally emotional. He was struck by the appearance and built of his son. Marco Polo was rather tall and lanky; his face was a little pale, and his thick, curly eyelashes added a fine touch to his blue eyes, which were aglow with intelligence and wisdom. Warmed with the thought that his son would soon grow


11

马可·波罗是个坚强的小伙

子，平时遇到什么事情都不会哭。

可是这一刻，他不能控制自己的感

情，扑倒在父亲的怀里，失声痛哭

起来。这是他15年来，第一次见到

自己的父亲。15年里，他只能站在

海边，眼望大海盼望着父亲乘船归

来，只能在梦中一次次地幻想父亲

的模样。现在，他终于真正见到

了自己的父亲！

尼科洛·波罗也非常激动。他从上到下仔仔细细

端详着儿子：15岁的马可·波罗，个子比较高，很

瘦，脸色有些苍白，眉毛很浓，微微向上翘着，蓝亮

的眼睛里闪烁着机灵、智慧的光芒。看到这一切，尼

科洛·波罗的嘴角流露出了满意、自豪的微笑。他觉

得自己的儿子将来一定会是个诚实、聪明而又稳健的

男子汉。

尼科洛·波罗从自己的包裹里拿出了很多礼物，

有结实的棉布、漂亮的亚麻、精致的丝绸、透明的薄

纱，还有一些五彩斑斓、晶莹剔透的宝石。马可·波

马可·波罗画像

Portrait of Marco Polo.

Marco Polo in China

12

up to be an honest, intelligent and stable young man, Nicolo Polo grinned with pride and satisfaction.

Nicolo Polo took out an assortment of presents from his luggage. Among them were sturdy cotton fabric, fine linen, intricate silk fabric, muslin, and multi-colored gemstones. Marco Polo was filled with curiosity and he asked his father, “Where did you get all these beautiful and expensive gifts?”

His father replied, “China, and Persia.”“China? Where’s that?”Marco Polo felt a little perplexed. Is there really such

a place called China? Are there many treasures to be found there? What kind of place is China? It was then that he recalled what he once heard, that there exists in China a river filled with valuable treasures. Marco Polo thought: “That must be the place where Father and Uncle picked up all those treasures.”

He could not help but ask his father, “Is China rich? Did you make friends with the Chinese people?”

“ C e r t a i n l y, w e m a d e m a n y f r i e n d s i n C h i n a , including the great Kublai Khan!” answered Nicolo Polo, proudly.

“What’s a ‘Khan’, Father?” asked Marco Polo.“Kublai Khan is the ruler of China. He’s a Mongolian,

who called their emperor ‘Khan’.”“Emperor? You made friends with the emperor!”


13

罗好奇地问父亲：“这些又漂亮又贵重的礼物，是从

哪儿来的呢?”

父亲告诉他：“中国，还有波斯。”

“中国？在什么地方？”

“就是人们常说的加塞。”尼科洛·波罗解释

说。

马可·波罗有些茫然。中国，真的有这个地方

吗？那里有这么多的宝贝吗？中国到底是什么样的

呢？这时，他突然想到，曾经听人说过，在遥远的加

塞，有一条遍布宝石的河流。马可·波罗心想，也许

这些礼物就是父亲和叔叔从那里捡回来的吧。

他禁不住问父亲：“中国真的很富有吗？你们和

中国人做朋友了吗？”

“当然，我们在那里认识了很多朋友，连那里的

忽必烈大汗，也和我们是很好的朋友！”尼科洛·波

罗得意地说。

“大汗是什么？”马可·波罗不解地问。

“忽必烈统治了中国，他是蒙古人，蒙古人把

‘皇帝’称作‘大汗’。”

“你们跟皇帝也交上朋友了？！”马可·波罗非

Marco Polo in China

14

Marco Polo was visibly amazed. He kept insisting to his father to tell him all he knew about China. Looking at how curious his son was, Nicolo Polo started telling him, in detail, his experience in China.

When Nicolo and Matteo Polo were trading in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul in Turkey), they were acquainted with an emissary to China. Over the few days that they spent together, they got along very well. The emissary told them that Kublai Khan had never seen an Italian and he would definitely be thrilled to have the chance to meet with them, and would certainly bestow them with rich rewards. With that, Nicolo and Matteo Polo left with the emissary for China.

In 1266, they arrived in the royal city of Kublai Khan, who hosted a grand feast to welcome the foreign visitors.

Life in China was pleasant and happy, but soon, Nicolo and Matteo Polo started to miss their families in Italy. They decided to return to Italy. Upon knowing of their impending departure, Kublai Khan assigned a special mission to the Polo brothers. He wanted them to send a letter from him to the Pope in Rome. In his letter, Kublai Khan requested the Pope to dispatch a hundred scholars who were well-versed in Christian doctrine, astronomy, geography to China and research with the


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常惊讶。他缠着父亲，请求他一定要给自己讲讲中国

的故事。尼科洛·波罗见儿子如此好奇，便详细地讲

述了他们在中国的经历：

尼科洛·波罗和马泰奥·波罗在君士坦丁堡（今

土耳其伊斯坦布尔）经商时，认识了一位被派去朝见

中国忽必烈大汗的使节。他们和这位使节相处了几

天，大家谈得十分投机。使节说，忽必烈大汗从未见

13世纪的地中海

The Mediterranean Sea in the 13th century.

Marco Polo in China

16

local scholars.After hearing his father’s story about China, Marco

Polo was scarcely satisfied. He hungered for more knowledge about China. He asked his father, “What is China like?”

To that , his father repl ied, “China is a land of mountains, rivers and lakes. There are deserts and prairies. It is beautiful. It is a huge country, bigger than any country in the world in terms of its size and population. It is the richest country ever.”

Marco Polo had seemingly endless questions about China for his father. Nicolo Polo told him, jokingly, “Silly boy, with that many stories about China, I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish telling them all to you in three days.”

“That’s great! Then I’m not going to eat nor sleep for the next three days and listen to your stories of China,” smiled Marco Polo, innocently.

From then on, China was transformed into a giant magnet, entrapping the young Marco Polo with wonder and amazement. Once he got hold of the time, he would tag on to his father and uncle, and tirelessly implored them to tell him more about their experiences in China. In the end, he was even able to memorize every detail that was told to him. He realized then that he had come to a point where neither his father nor his uncle was


17

过意大利人，如果见到他们的话，一定非常高兴，并

会给他们丰厚的赏赐。就这样，尼科洛·波罗和马泰

奥·波罗跟随使节去了中国。

1266年，他们到了忽必烈大汗的皇都。大汗特别

举行了一次盛大的宴会，欢迎他们的到来。

在中国度过了一段愉快的日子后，尼科洛·波罗

和马泰奥·波罗开始想念家乡的亲人，想要回意大利

去。忽必烈大汗知道后，交给他们兄弟一项特别的使

命——回到欧洲后，转交大汗写给罗马教皇的信函。

在信中，大汗请教皇派100名精通基督教教义和天文、

13世纪欧洲人描绘的世界地图

A 13th century map illustrated by the Europeans.

Marco Polo in China

18

able to satisfy his curiosity about China. He decided, thus, to visit China. He wanted to find out for himself how mystical this country in the orient really was.

Soon, Marco Polo was able to muster his courage and proposed to his father his wish to visit China. His father objected staunchly to his request. He told his son, “This is a critical time for your growth into a fine, young man. What you really have to do is to attend school and receive a formal education. It’s not your time to go out there and endure all sorts of hardships. Financially, I’m able to fulfill your every need.”

Marco Polo reacted to his father ’s words with great disappointment. He was a sensible child and completely understood his father ’s thoughts. Yet he was also fervently seeking to explore a world that was

尼科洛·波罗与马泰奥·波罗第一次前来中国时，向忽必烈大汗献上一本书和一个十字架。

Nicolo Polo and Matteo Polo presented a book and a crucifix to Kublai Khan on their first visit to China.


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地理的学者，来中国和其他学者一起探讨研究。

听完父亲的故事，马可·波罗仍然意犹未尽。他

太想知道更多有关中国的知识了。他问父亲：“中国

是什么样的？”父亲告诉他：“中国有山有水，有沙

漠，有草原，非常美丽，比其他任何国家都大，人口

也要多得多。中国比其他国家都富裕。”

马可·波罗还有好多的问题想问。尼科洛·波罗

半开玩笑地对他说：“傻孩子，中国的故事可多了，

恐怕三天三夜也讲不完。”

“太好啦！那我情愿三天三夜不吃饭、不睡

觉。”马可·波罗天真地说。

从此，中国就像一块巨大的磁铁，强烈地吸引着

年轻的马可·波罗。一有时间，他就围着父亲和叔

叔，反复地请求他们讲述在中国的经历。到后来，每

一个细节他都烂熟于心，父亲和叔叔的讲述已经无法

满足他的好奇心了。他决定，要到中国去，一定要亲

眼看看这个神奇的东方国家究竟是什么样子！

马可·波罗鼓足勇气，向父亲提出了跟随他漫游

中国的请求。父亲坚决不同意，他对儿子说：“你现

在正是长身体的时候，你需要做的是去学校接受正规

Marco Polo in China

20

more exciting and vast than Venice. Unable to fulfill his dreams, Marco Polo became very sulky and withdrawn, and could not bring himself to be interested in anything else.

Seeing that, Matteo Polo decided to plead with Nicolo Polo on his nephew’s behalf. He told him that Marco Polo was an attentive, brave, strong and intelligent child, destined to be an explorer. It would give him more opportunities to excel in life if they were to take him along to China.

Nicolo Polo said, “I do not doubt his abilities. What I’m worried about is the distance and the traveling. I don’t think he has the physical strength for that. On top of that, we won’t know how many years he would be away, and as such, he would miss out on his education. Anyway, I wish to see him becoming a merchant here in Venice, instead of an explorer.”

Matteo Polo did not let the matter rest. He continued to persuade his brother, “I don’t agree with you. Haven’t we always regarded Venetian merchants as natural born travelers? We are apt in exploring different parts of the world, making friends along the way, and widening our world of knowledge. All these have helped us in our business, and they do not pose any harm to our growth.”

Thanks to his uncle’s strong persuasion and his own


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教育，而不是出去吃苦。至于经济上，我现在完全有

条件满足你的要求。”

听完父亲的话，马可·波罗失望极了。他是一个

懂事的孩子，完全理解父亲的心情，但他热烈地向往

着一个比威尼斯更新奇、更广阔的世界。自己的梦想

无法实现，马可·波罗成天闷闷不乐，做什么事都无

精打采。

叔叔看到这种情形，便替马可·波罗求情。他告

反映13世纪蒙古帝国征伐战争的绘画作品

A painting depicting the conquest by the Mongol Empire in the 13th century.

Marco Polo in China

22

persistent pleas, Marco Polo finally gained his father’s approval to let him follow him on his next journey to China. Marco Polo was so thrilled that he jumped for joy.

In 1271, the 17-year-old Marco Polo started on his journey with his father and uncle, along with over ten other travel companions. With the Pope’s reply and exquisite gifts for Kublai Khan carefully secured among their luggage, Nicolo Polo and Matteo Polo led their expedition to the East, and brought Marco Polo one step closer to his dream of China.

忽必烈颁发金牌给波罗兄弟。出自15世纪《奇迹之书》（即《马可·波罗游记》），巴黎国

家图书馆藏。

Kublai Khan awarding a gold medallion to the Polo brothers. Taken from the 15th century edition of The Travels of Marco Polo, courtesy of Paris National Library.


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诉哥哥，马可·波罗这孩子细心、勇敢、坚强、聪

明，很有旅行家的天赋，如果带他一起前往中国，也

许他将来会更有出息。

尼科洛·波罗说：“他的能力我并不怀疑，我担

心的是长途跋涉，他的身体会吃不消。而且，这一去

不知道要多少年，他的学业也会荒废。总之，我希望

他将来做个商人，不要做旅行家。”

“可是，我们不是一直认为，威尼斯商人是天

生的旅行家吗？走遍天下，结识各类朋友，见多识

广，这样对我们的事业才会有帮助，对成长也有益无

害。”马泰奥·波罗继续劝说哥哥。

终于，在叔叔的劝说和马可·波罗的一再请求

下，尼科洛·波罗同意让儿子试一试。马可·波罗激

动得跳了起来！

1271年，尼科洛·波罗和马泰奥·波罗携带教皇

给忽必烈大汗的回信和礼品，率领马可·波罗与十几

位旅伴，一起向东方进发了。17岁的马可·波罗，终

于踏上了前往中国的旅途，离那个他梦中都在向往的

国家越来越近！

Marco Polo in China

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Europe and the Mongol Empire in the 13th Century

After experiencing nearly 200 years of the Crusades, the religious fanaticism of war in the 13th-century Europe was gradually replaced by the growing need in trade. The Europeans were especially fascinated by the precious stones, spices and silk from Asia. For a long time, these Eastern goods were imported by road to Europe through Persian intermediaries. At this time, the Tatars of the Mongolian steppe, who rose swiftly into power, started an expedition to conquer the world. In a very short period of time, the Mongol empire had expanded to the east of the Danube River and the Mediterranean regions. The vast Mongol Empire, which occupied a large territory, cleared the obstacles that hindered the traffic for European traders across all borders. These traders had started to travel farther towards the distant Central Asia in the East, pursuing wealth and their dreams. Marco Polo, his father, and uncle were representative of the pioneers.


25

13世纪的欧洲与蒙古帝国

13世纪的欧洲，在经历了前后近200年的十字军东征

之后，宗教战争的狂热已逐渐被日益增长的贸易需求所代

替。尤其是来自亚洲的宝石、香料和丝绸，令欧洲人非常

着迷。而长久以来，这些东方商品主要是通过波斯中间

商，由陆路销往欧洲。

就在这时，从蒙古草原迅速崛起的鞑靼人，以其游牧

式的战争开始了对全世界的征服。在很短的时间里，蒙古

帝国的版图已经扩大到了多瑙河和地中海以东的所有地

区。蒙古人建立的疆域广大的统一国家，进一步为欧洲商

人扫清了交通途中穿越各国国境的障碍。他们开始向着比

中亚更遥远的东方出发，去寻求财富和梦想。马可·波罗

和他的父亲、叔叔，正是这些先行者的代表。

26

A Journey Filled with Adventures

From Venice, Nicolo Polo’s expedition journeyed to the Mediterranean Sea, upon which they crossed the Black Sea and arrived at the ancient city of

Baghdad in the Middle East. They would then travel to the seaport of Hormuz, from which they would board a boat and sail directly to China. None of them expected though, that a mishap was awaiting them.

While making purchases in a small town, the expedition

马可·波罗一行人在君士坦丁堡上岸。（15世纪《奇迹之书》插画）

Marco Polo and his expedition disembarking at Constantinopole (An illustration in the 15th century edition of The Travels of Marco Polo.)

II

27

历险之旅

马可·波罗他们从家乡威尼斯进入地中海，然后

横渡黑海，经过两河流域来到中东古城巴格达。从这

里到波斯湾的出海口霍尔木兹，就可以乘船直驶中国

了。不料这时，却发生了意外。

马可·波罗时代的欧洲船舰

An European fleet during Marco Polo’s time.

2

Marco Polo in China

28

was targeted by a band of bandits. In the night, they were seized and locked up by the bandits. Marco Polo and his father managed to escape but when they returned with help, the bandits were gone. Thereafter, they were stranded for two months in Hormuz as none of the boats were heading towards China. Left without a better option, they decided to travel on land to China.

The expedition soon arrived at the south-eastern part of present-day Iran, where they have to travel across the Iranian plateau. Here, they entered an unfriendly terrain of wide spans of wilderness, and endless deserts, posing danger and toil to their journey. Yet, it was the only land

丝绸之路上绵延不绝的商旅。丝绸之路于西汉开通，是古代东西方交流的重要通道。马可·

波罗也是沿着这条路进入中国的。

Traders along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was an ancient trade route between the East and West, established during the Western Han Dynasty. Marco Polo had entered China via this route.


29

他们在一个镇上买东西时，被一伙强盗盯上了。

夜里，强盗抓住了他们，并把他们关押起来。马

可·波罗和父亲寻找机会，幸运地逃脱了。当他们找

来救兵时，强盗早已离开，除了叔叔外，其他同伴也

不知去向。

马可·波罗跟着父亲和叔叔来到霍尔木兹，一直

等了两个月，也没遇上前往中国的船只。无奈，他们

只好改走陆路。

三人到了现在的伊朗东南部，在这里，他们要翻

越伊朗高原。伊朗高原的地势非常险峻，到处都是荒

山野岭，还有广阔的沙漠，行走非常艰难。但这里是

从陆路前往中国的必经之道，他们没有别的选择。

刚进入沙漠的第三天，他们就面临巨大的困难：

事先准备的水已经全部喝光，人和牲口都干渴得嗓子

要冒烟了，可脚下还是一望无际的黄沙，不知道什么

时候才能走到尽头。马可·波罗每次看到天空升起一

丝云彩，就盼望着能够下一场瓢泼大雨。可是到了晚

上，浩瀚的天际挂着皎洁的明月，繁星如同一盆盛开

的宝石花。这天气，别说没有雨，连露水也不会有一

滴。

Marco Polo in China

30

route by which they could travel to China. They were left with no other choice.

Three days into the desert, and they found themselves facing a massive obstacle. The water they brought along was depleted and both men and animals were badly dehydrated. Before them, the desert stretched into infinity. No one knew how long more it would take for them to reach the other end. Every time when Marco Polo saw a trace of cloud hovering in the sky above them, he wished fervently that it would bring a downpour. Each time, however, as they journeyed into the night, all they could see in the sky was the lucid moon and stars that sprinkled across the vastness like jewels. There was not even a drop of dew in sight, let alone rain.

Deep in the night, Marco Polo was unable to get to sleep. Tossing and turning, his heart was filled with anxiety. If this carries on, he thought, how would they ever continue on their journey in the desert? He got up stealthily and went in search of water all by himself.

Guided by the moonlight, Marco Polo ventured into the empty desert ahead of him. After walking for about three hours, in the slowly illuminating dawn of the day, he discovered an oasis. Water, at last! Marco Polo was overjoyed. As he took a gulp of water from the oasis, he was shocked by the taste of the water, which was salty and bitter. He could scarcely bring himself to swallow it


31

夜深了，马可·波罗翻来覆去，睡不着觉。他心

里十分焦急：像这样下去，他们怎么能在沙漠里继续

行走呢？马可·波罗轻轻地爬起来，决定一个人找水

去。

在空无一人的沙漠里，马可·波罗借着月光，独

自一人向前走。大概走了三个小时，终于在朦朦晨

曦中，发现了一片湿漉漉的沼泽地。找到水了！马

可·波罗开心极了。可谁知道，这沼泽地的水又咸又

涩，很难咽下去。干渴难忍的马可·波罗也顾不上这

帕米尔高原是古丝绸之路的必经之地。马可·波罗描述说，这里因为空气稀薄，气候寒冷，

几乎渺无人烟，连飞鸟也很少见。

Pamir Plateau along the Silk Road. Marco Polo had described the thin air and cold climate in the area, which was deserted.

Marco Polo in China

32

despite his thirst. He finally forced himself to drink the water to quench his thirst. Then he filled up a leather bag and took it back to camp.

The expedition continued on its journey. Midway, Marco Polo was attacked by a violent churning in his stomach and began vomiting and experiencing diarrhea. He lost energy in his legs and was unable to take a step forward. Fighting the urge to simply collapse on the ground, Marco Polo told himself that this was not the right time to fall. He was determined to persevere and move on. It was his choice to go to China, and there would be more obstacles ahead. He must persist to his destination.

Wi t h t h a t i n m i n d , M a r c o P o l o e n c o u r a g e d himself onwards. Finally, he and his fellow travelers succeeded in cross ing over the Iranian Plateau. They continued to move ahead and traveled across the Pamir Plateau, and at last, arrived in Xinjiang of China.

马可·波罗曾穿越的罗布荒漠。他形容这里为许多幽灵出没的场所。

Lop Desert. Marco Polo described it as a haunted place.


33

些，自己先喝了个够，然后又盛了满满一皮囊，背着

水返回营地。

三人继续前行。走到半路，马可·波罗突然觉得

肚子里咕噜咕噜直翻腾，接着就上吐下泻起来。他感

觉肚子里空极了，腿软极了，似乎一步也迈不动了，

只想躺下去。可是绝对不可以在这个时候倒下！他告

诉自己：一定要坚持！是自己选择了去中国，那就一

定要坚持到最后！这才刚刚离开威尼斯不久，后面还

有更多的艰难等着自己。

就这样，马可·波罗一边不停给自己打气，一边

坚持赶路。终于，他和父亲、叔叔一道，成功地翻过

了伊朗高原。

接着，他们又翻过严寒的帕米尔高原，终于来到

中国新疆。

一进入新疆，马可·波罗就被深深吸引了。美丽

繁华的喀什城，一处处花香扑鼻的果园，让马可·波

罗目不暇接。在盛产美玉的和田，他们看到了各种琳

琅满目的玉石，白的如雪，绿的似翠，黄的如蜡，红

的似火，黑的像墨；大的直径约有30多厘米，重达10

多磅。当地工匠出神入化的玉雕手艺，赢得了他们的

Marco Polo in China

34

In Kashgar, Marco Polo was enthralled by the myriad of sights, sounds and scents of the town. In Khotan, they saw a wide variety of gemstones, ranging from the snowy pearl white ones, to the fiery red, and those that were as dark as night. They were equally amazed by the sizes of the stones, which reached a hefty weight of 10 pounds and measured over 30 centimeters in diameter.

From Khotan, they proceeded towards the northeast, and in a few days, they started to cross another desert—Taklamakan Desert—reputed for its extreme dryness. It was not easy finding water in this desert, and when they did, the water was bitter and pungent. It was reminiscent of their journey across the Iranian Plateau. Marco Polo and his companions had picked the shortest route across the desert, but even then, it would take at least a month to complete the journey.

The days passed slowly. It was a trying feat to journey across a desert with an unending vastness, with scarcely a change in scene as they went along. It was such a dull experience that caused one to be depressed. The most dangerous part of it was the fluctuating hallucinations that might mislead them off their course, resulting in them losing their way and perish in the desert.

Once, Marco Polo heard someone calling his name: “Marco, Marco…”

He walked towards the direction where the voice was


35

一致赞叹。

由和田继续向东北方向前行，几天后，他们开始

穿越塔克拉玛干沙漠。这片沙漠非常干旱，走很远也

难以找到泉水。好不容易找到，那水也是又苦又涩，

与翻越伊朗高原时穿过的沙漠一样。马可·波罗他们

选择了一条最短的路线，即便这样，走完全程也需要

塔克拉玛干沙漠是中国境内最大的沙漠，世界第二大沙漠。马可·波罗花了一个月时间，穿

越这片大漠。

Taklimakan Desert is the largest desert in China, and the World’s second largest. Marco Polo had taken a month to cross this desert.

Marco Polo in China

36

coming from and asked, “Who is there? Who’s calling my name?”

“Nobody is!” shouted Nicolo Polo. “Keep close to one another. Do not leave the group.”

Later, Nicolo Polo explained to his mystified son, “Such phenomenon is common in the desert. It is a hallucination. It is crucial that you have to stay calm, and not be led astray. The worst-case scenario in traveling across the desert is to lose one’s way in it.”

Finally, the journey across the treacherous desert came to an end. They arrived safely in the city of Dunhuang.

1375年的罗尼亚语地图，表现马可·波罗一行的“丝绸之路”旅行。

A 1375 map of Catalan, depicting Marco Polo’s journey along the Silk Road.


37

至少一个月。

时间一天天地过去。终日跋涉在沙漠荒野间，单

调乏味的风景让人心情烦闷。最危险的，是那些变幻

无常的幻觉，它们可能会诱使旅行者偏离方向，最终

迷路，被活活困死在沙漠中。

有一次，马可·波罗听到有人在叫他：“马可，

马可……”

他顺着声音的方向问：“谁在叫我？”

敦煌莫高窟，举世闻名的佛教艺术宝库。马可·波罗并没有在游记中提到莫高窟，但他提及

敦煌有许多寺庙、佛像。

Mogao Grotto at Dunhuang, a world-renowned Buddhist treasure cove. Marco Polo did not mention about Mogao Grotto in his travelogue, but he did mention the many temples and Buddha statues that he saw at Dunhuang.

Marco Polo in China

38

Marco Polo found that there were many temples in such cities situated at the fringe of the desert consecrating an assortment of Buddha images. Many of the residents in these cities prayed at these temples.

Not long after, they reached the present-day Ejinaqi in Inner Mongolia. There, they proudly showed a Mongolian military officer the imperial gold medallion bestowed by Kublai Khan. Upon seeing it, the officer told them, “The Great Khan has been expecting you for a long time! He would be delighted to know that you are finally here!”

Escorted by the army troops, Marco Polo and his father and uncle, along with his travel companions, arrived a week later at their destination—Shangdu—the upper capital of the Yuan Dynasty. It was the year 1275, four years from the day that first departed Venice.


39

“谁也没叫你！”尼科洛·波罗大声说，“向我

们靠拢，不要离开队伍。”

然后，父亲向迷惑的马可·波罗解释道：“这种

现象在沙漠中时常会遇到。这只是一种幻觉。这时一

定要保持冷静，不要乱走。穿越沙漠最可怕的就是迷

路。”

漫长而艰辛的沙漠之旅终于结束了。他们安全抵

达敦煌。马可·波罗发现，这个位于沙漠边缘的城市

建有许多寺庙，庙中供奉着各种各样的佛像，当地的

居民常常会去庙里祭祀。

不久后，他们到了亦集乃（位于今内蒙古额济纳

旗境内）。在那里，他们取出大汗的御赐金牌。蒙古

军官告诉他们：“大汗已经等候你们很久了！他会非

常高兴你们的到来！”

在军队护送下，一周后，马可·波罗和父亲、叔

叔一道，终于到达了他们的目的地——元上都（今内

蒙古正蓝旗上都郭勒）。当时是1275年，距他们从威

尼斯出发，已经过去了整整四年。

40

Honorary Guests of the Khan

Shangdu was originally known as Kaiping County. It was here that the imperial palace was located when Kublai Khan ruled over the vassal states in

the region. It was located in the southern border of the great Mongolian Prairie, with the vast desert area to the north and central plains to the south. Its geographical location was strategic.

In 1260, Kublai Khan ascended to the throne in Shangdu, which was thus named as the capital city. In 1271, which was the year Marco Polo and his expedition set off from Venice, Kublai Khan formally named his reign the Yuan Dynasty. The following year, he shifted the capital to Dadu, present-day Beijing.

When Marco Polo arrived in the city of Shangdu, it was already a developed, enchanting city. The city was located to the north and faced the south, and it was surrounded by high, sturdy walls. The city walls were equipped with watch towers, and were closely guarded by full-armored

III

41

大汗贵宾

上都，原名开平府，是忽必烈做藩王时的都府所

在地。它处于蒙古大草原的南缘，北连朔漠，南通中

原，地理位置十分重要。

1260年，忽必烈在这里即位登基，并将这里定为

国都。1271年，也就是马可·波罗一行人从威尼斯出

发的那一年，忽必烈正

式定国号为元，次年将

都城从上都迁至大都

（今北京）。

马可·波罗到达上

都时，它已经是一座令

人叹为观止的城市。上

都坐北朝南，整座城市

由高大坚固的城墙环绕忽必烈像

Portrait of Kublai Khan.

3

Marco Polo in China

42

soldiers, ensuring the safety of the city.The streets in the city were wide and spacious. People

of all races, dressed in various odd-looking costumes, thronged the streets. On each side of the streets were neat arrays of shops, restaurants, residential houses, temples. When Marco Polo and his expedition entered the city via its gate, the soldiers that guarded the gate stood at attention and raised their weapons as a sign of respect.

Marco Polo drank in the sights before him, and was silently in awe of the prosperity of the city. He thought to himself how all the hardships that he had gone through for the past four years were truly worth it for all that he saw before him. He had not a single tinge of regret for following his father and uncle to this place.

Soon, they found themselves stopping in front of another city gate—Mingde Gate—the front gate of the imperial city. The imperial city was located towards the southeastern part of the upper city. Quadrilateral in structure, and surrounded by high city walls, the imperial city was safely segregated from the outer city.

Once they reached the palace, the guards went in to report to Kublai Khan of their arrival. To welcome Marco Polo and his party to China, Kublai Khan had, much earlier, arranged for a great feast for them, attended by all the court officials. It was the grandest banquet Marco Polo had ever seen in his life. He was incredibly excited to


43

包围。城墙上建有瞭望台，旗帜飘扬，全副武装的士

兵在上面来回巡视，保证城内的安全。

上都的街道非常宽广。来自不同地方的人穿着各

种奇异的衣服，讲着各种不同的语言，来来往往，热

闹异常。街道两旁的店铺、酒馆、民居、寺庙，错落

有致，秩序井然。走过城门时，驻守城门的士兵都举

起手中的刀，向马可·波罗他们敬礼。

马可·波罗一路走过，仔细观察着眼前的一切，

暗暗赞叹这里的繁荣景象。他想，虽然经历了四年的

辛苦，但一切都是值得的，他一点也不后悔跟随父亲

和叔叔来到这里。

他们来到又一座城门前，这就是皇城的正门——

明德门。皇城位于上都的东南部，四四方方，周围筑

有高高的围墙，将皇城与外城隔离开来。

到了宫殿前，侍卫官让他们稍等，自己进去向大

汗报告。为了欢迎马可·波罗一行远道而来，忽必烈

早就下令为他们特地准备了宴会，文武百官都前来参

加。这是马可·波罗平生见过的最盛大、豪华的宴

会。一下见到了那么多蒙古帝国的贵族和官员，他兴

奋得有些难以置信。

Marco Polo in China

44

be able to share the moment with all the members of the royal family, as well as the court officials.

During the banquet, Kublai Khan welcomed his guests with a toast to Nicolo Polo and Matteo Polo, “Let’s toast to welcome my emissaries, who had traveled a long distance to get here!”

Marco Polo seized the chance to scrutinize the leader of Mongolia. He saw that Kublai Khan was of average built, looked fit and strong, with a calm demeanor. His face was red and glowing, and his eyes were black and they

1275年，元世祖忽必烈在上都接见马可·波罗一家。

Kublai Khan receiving Marco Polo and his family in the Upper Capital.


45

宴会上，忽必烈大汗首先端起酒杯，对着马

可·波罗的父亲和叔叔说：“为欢迎我的使臣远道归

来，干杯！”

马可·波罗趁机细细打量了这位蒙古首领：中等

个头，四肢肌肉发达，面色红润，表情平和，眼睛乌

黑清亮，看起来是一位贤明、高尚的君主。第一次见

面，马可·波罗就对忽必烈大汗留下了很好的印象。

第二天一早，侍卫官就来传达大汗的圣旨，召他

们三人觐见。

见到大汗后，尼科洛·波罗呈上了教皇的信件和

礼物，并向大汗介绍了马可·波罗。

忽必烈看着眼前这个年轻人，很想知道马可·波

罗是不是像他的父亲和叔叔一样有本事。他问马

可·波罗：“你从阿富汗经过的时候，觉得它的城池

怎么样?”

“报告大汗，阿富汗的城池都被重兵把守着，许

多城市靠着山谷而建，是一个很难攻打的国家。”马

可·波罗回答。

“巴达山的情况怎么样呢？”

“巴达山的人民信奉伊斯兰教。那里盛产麦子和

Marco Polo in China

46

sparkled. He appeared to Marco Polo to be a wise and noble leader. During this first meeting, Kublai Khan left an impressive impression on Marco Polo’s mind.

The next day, early in the morning, Marco Polo, his father and his uncle were summoned to meet with Kublai Khan.

Nicolo Polo presented the letter of the Pope and gifts to the emperor, and formally introduced Marco Polo to him.

Kublai Khan looked at this young man standing in front of him and wondered if he was as capable as his father and uncle. He asked Marco Polo, “When you were traveling past Afghanistan, what opinion do you have with regard to its fortresses?”

Marco Polo answered, “Your majesty, the fortresses of Afghanistan were heavily guarded by its troops. Many of its cities were built against the valley. It is a country that would not be easily attacked and defeated.”

“How about Badda?”“The people of Badda are Muslims, and it is abundant

in producing wheat and gemstones. It is also endowed with fine horses and sheep. It would take 12 days to travel across its entire territory.”

“How many days, then, from Badda to Turkey?”“Thirty days, towards northeastern direction.”Kublai Khan nodded. He could see that this young

man with his blond hair and blue eyes had an exceptional


47

宝石，有很多良马和滩羊。通过全境需要12天的时

间。”

“从巴达山到土耳其要多久？”

“30天，往东北偏东的方向一直走。”

……

听着马可·波罗的回答，忽必烈频频点头。他发

现，眼前这个黄头发、蓝眼睛的小伙子有超凡的记忆

力和语言表达能力，这一

点甚至胜过了他的父亲和

叔叔。

忽必烈对马可·波罗

说：“非常好！我有那些

地区的地图，可是已经陈

旧了。我希望你能够帮助

我修改一下，我会好好感

谢你的！”

“谢谢大汗，我一定

尽力！”马可·波罗高兴

地回答。这么快就有机会

展现自己的才华，并得到

马可·波罗当年见到的繁华的元上都，如今只剩下一些残垣断壁。

The Upper Capital of the Yuan Dynasty that Marco Polo saw when he first arrived. All that is left today is its ruins.

Marco Polo in China

48

memory and an eloquence that far surpassed his father and uncle.

He told Marco Polo, “Very well! I have the maps of that region that are very old. I wish that you could help me amend them. I would be very grateful!”

“Thank you, your majesty! I will certainly try my very best!” Marco Polo agreed, delightedly. He was surprised to obtain this early chance to show Kublai Khan his talents, as well as gaining his recognition.

Both Nicolo and Matteo Polo were astounded by the conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo. They had least expected Marco Polo to be so attentive as to note down everything that he saw along the way. Meanwhile, they were equally happy to see that it was right to bring

13世纪的蒙古人

Mongolians in the 13th century.


49

大汗的认可，实在出乎他的意料。

父亲和叔叔听着大汗和马可·波罗的一问一答，

都惊呆了。他们万万没有想到，细心的马可·波罗留

意了一路上看到的一切。同时他们也感到欣慰，看来

当初带马可·波罗来中国是一个正确的抉择。

忽必烈大汗又接着说：“你们可能已经知道，蒙

古可汗之间互相攻击，骨肉相残。特别是海都，他们

连年叛战，割断了我们与伊利国和钦察国的联系。所

以我们必须打败海都。你们刚从那边过来，有什么看

法吗？”

尼科洛·波罗和马泰奥·波罗望着大汗充满期望

的目光，有些慌乱。他们是成功的商人，也是有丰富

经验的旅行者，可是在政治方面，他们很少去思考。

这时，年轻的马可·波罗说话了：“尊敬的陛

下，在从阿卡到上都的旅途中，我做了一些记录，比

如每个地方的地理形貌、物产、风土人情等等，不知

道这些对您有没有用？”

忽必烈喜出望外。他高兴地说：“太好了！这是

一个君主所应该知道的最基本的东西。你现在就为我

讲讲吧！”

Marco Polo in China

50

Marco Polo to China.Kublai Khan continued, “I’m sure you are aware

that the khans of Mongolia are constantly fighting for dominance, especially at Kaidu, the fights are unceasingly frequent, which jeopardize our diplomatic relationship with Ilkhanate and Kipchak Khanate. Hence, i t ’s imperative that we must defeat Kaidu. Since you had traveled past that region, what’s your view on this?”

Nicolo and Matteo Polo met the expectant eyes of the great Khan, and started to feel nervous. They were successful merchants and experienced travelers. However, politics was a subject that they hardly considered and was rather unfamiliar to them.

It was at this moment that Marco Polo spoke, “Your majesty, all the way from Acre to the upper city, I had made some reservations, such as the terrain, produce, cultural practices of the place, which I had recorded. I wonder if they would be of use to your majesty.”

Kublai Khan was overjoyed. He said delightfully, “That’s amazing! This is the basic item that a ruler must possess. Tell me all about them now!”

Hence, Marco Polo started describing to Kublai Khan, all the countries that he had passed along his journey. He was comprehensive, detailed and lively in his description of what he had recorded.

Kublai Khan developed an immense interest in Marco


51

于是，马可·波罗向大汗介绍了一路所经过的多

个国家的情况。他讲得既全面、详细，又十分生动。

大汗对马可·波罗产生了极大的好感。他想，看

来这个年轻人是个有心人，不但在来上都的路上学会

了波斯语和蒙古语，还在沿途仔细观察、认真思考。

将来，应该让细心、聪慧的他更好地为蒙古帝国服

务。

蒙古帝国骑兵

Calvary of the Mongol Empire.

Marco Polo in China

52

Polo, who appeared to him as a sincere young man. Not only had he mastered both the Persian and Mongolian languages while on his journey, he had even made detailed observations of the places that he had visited and thought seriously about them. Kublai Khan projected that he would engage the service of this attentive and intelligent young man to be of service to the Mongolian empire.

Once, Kublai Khan asked Marco Polo, “Tell me, how should a man live so that his life would not be in vain?”

“Well, I feel that he must have the ambition to learn new things every day. If he doesn’t, he would have wasted a day.”

Kublai Khan laughed heartily, “Both of us have very similar opinions!”

He went on, “So tell me what you like.”“I love to travel , and spend t ime learning and

understanding all the interesting things I see at various places that I visit. Other than the physical landscape that varies from place to place, I would also take note of the various lifestyles of the people. I would write them down so that it would help me relive the memory of these places.”

“So what is it that you are able to help me record?”“I feel that the records of certain things are must-

have for a ruler, such as the taxation of a region,


53

一次，忽必烈大汗问马可·波罗：“你说，人应

该怎样生活，才算没有浪费生命？”

“我觉得，一个有志气的人，每天都要学习新的

东西，否则这天就算白白浪费了。”

忽必烈大笑，对马可·波罗说：“你和我的看法

忽必烈狩猎图。马可·波罗在游记中记载了很多忽必烈的活动，包括征战、狩猎等。

Kublai Khan Hunting. Marco Polo recorded many activities that Kublai Khan engaged in, including hunting and war expedition.

Marco Polo in China

54

the produce of various regions, i ts c i t ies , roads, rivers, natural disasters, the places that its troops are stationed and those that are at war. All of these, your majesty, are things that I would carefully record for you.”

Upon hearing what Marco Polo said, Kublai Khan found that he had become increasingly fond of him.

Kublai Khan invited Marco Polo and his family to take residence in the city, and bestowed them a beautiful mansion. He even dispatched over 30 maid servants to take care of their daily needs.

One day, Kublai Khan told his eldest son Chingen-Temur, “You must bear in mind that one day, you will inherit my throne. Hence, you must be diligent in acquiring knowledge. When it comes to geography, you can consult Marco Polo.”

The Crown Prince Chingen and Marco Polo were rather close in terms of their ages. However, they also shared many common interests and hence, they spent many hours together learning and playing. They soon became fast friends. Unfortunately, Prince Chingen was inflicted with epilepsy.

One day, Marco Polo was out hunting with the Crown Prince. When they were pursuing a wild boar, the prince was struck by epilepsy. He fell off his horse, and his body went into a fit, foaming from


55

很相似啊！”

忽必烈又问：“那你说说，你喜欢什么？”

“我喜欢旅行，喜欢在旅行中去了解各地不同的

山川地貌，还有人们不同的生活方式。我喜欢把这些

所见所闻记录下来，让它们帮助我记忆。”

“那你能帮助我记录些什么呢？”

“陛下，我认为，有些东西是作为君王的人必须

掌握的。比如，他的国家每一个地方每年的税收，各

地的物产，有哪些城市、道路、山河、天险，什么地

方屯兵，什么地方打仗。这些事情，我都会为您特别

留心地记录下来。”

听到马可·波罗的话，忽必烈越发喜欢他了。

大汗让马可·波罗一家人住在上都，并赐予他们

一所精美的宅邸。大汗还派去30名侍女，每天悉心照

顾他们的日常起居。

一天，忽必烈对他的大儿子真金说：“你要记

住，你以后早晚都要继承我的皇位，所以你现在必

须学习各种知识。有地理方面的问题，你可以去问马

可·波罗。”

太子真金的年龄和马可·波罗差不多。两人趣味

Marco Polo in China

56

his mouth and groaning in agony. Marco Polo was shocked, and he was unprepared for the right course of action to take without any servants in tow. He tried calming himself down, and decided to help Prince Chingen. He knelt beside the prince, and took off his belt, putting it between the teeth of the prince so that he would not bite off his own tongue. Then Marco Polo held the prince closely to him, supporting his body and released his collar. He kept comforting him, until the prince overcame his fit.

Following this incident, Kublai Khan expressed to Marco Polo, “I am grateful to you for saving the Crown Prince’s life. Other than that, please keep the prince’s affliction an absolute secret as only the three of us are aware of it.”

Marco Polo realized then that he had become a confidante of Kublai Khan’s family.


57

相投，经常在一起学习、玩耍，成了形影不离的好朋

友。然而太子很不幸，他患有先天性的癫痫病。

一天，马可·波罗和太子外出打猎。正当他们追

击一头野猪时，太子突然犯病了，从马上跌落下来，

僵直的身体在地上痉挛、抽搐，口中吐着白沫，不断

地呻吟着。马可·波罗被吓住了，他丝毫没有心理准

备，当时身边又没有仆人跟随。他稍稍镇定了一下，

决定自己给太子治病。他跪在扭曲着身体的太子旁

边，解下自己的皮带，塞到太子的牙齿之间，以免太

子咬断舌头。接着，马可·波罗又抱起太子，支撑着

他的身体，解开他的衣领，不断地抚摸和安慰他，直

到疯狂发作的病情平息下去。

这件事后，大汗对马可·波罗说：“非常感谢你

救了太子的命！另外，太子的病，只有我们三个人知

道，要绝对保密。”

马可·波罗这时才意识到，他已经成了大汗全家

非常亲密的朋友。

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58

Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan (1215–1294) was the grandson of the founder of the Mongol empire of Genghis Khan (1162–1227). He was the first emperor of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty’s first emperor. He ascended the throne in Kaiping (now East Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia) in 1260, and in 1271, changed the dynasty to Yuan. The following year, he established the capital Dadu in present-day Beijing. After launching an attack on the Southern Song Dynasty, he eradicated the Southern Song Dynasty in 1279, and unified the country. During his reign, he adopted the system of the Han Chinese to establish the political system, strengthened the management of border areas, and made advancement in water conservancy projects and developed production. Kublai Khan placed great emphasis on forging ties with foreign countries in Southeast Asia, the India-Pakistan subcontinent, Southwest Asia and East and North Africa, so as to develop the sea routes for trade. Foreign traders, diplomats, clergy thus started visiting China. In 1294, Kublai Khan died of illness.


59

忽必烈

忽必烈（1215—1294），蒙古帝国奠基者成吉思汗

（1162—1227）之孙。中国元代第一位皇帝，即元世祖。

1260年在开平（今内蒙古正蓝旗东）即大汗位。1271年

改国号元，次年定都大都（今北京）。后即发动对南宋

的进攻，1279年灭南宋，统一全国。在位期间，采用“汉

法”，建立各项政治制度，加强对边疆地区的管理，劝课

农桑，兴修水利，发展生产。忽必烈重视与外国联系，对

东南亚、印巴次大陆、西南亚以及东北非的海道贸易有所

发展，外国商人、使节、教士纷纷前来中国。1294年，忽

必烈病逝。

60

Exciting Encounters in the Orient

One day, Kublai Khan assigned Marco Polo with the task of surveying and investigating the south—its agriculture and handicrafts

industry. He was given 6 to 12 months to complete his task. To Marco Polo, it was the perfect task.

Short ly, Marco Polo bid farewel l to his father and uncle, and set off from the capital city. As it was a time-consuming endeavor to cover the entire southern region, he decided to begin inspecting the regions in the east first. Hence, they headed towards the southeast.

After some time, Marco Polo and his expedition arrived at the Yellow River. Upon crossing the river, they arrived at the city of Huai-an. Huai-an was a prosperous port and trading center. From here, Marco Polo traveled along the Causeway, cut across the Yellow River Delta, and arrived at Baoying, the city that produced silk. After passing through several

IV

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东方奇遇

一天，忽必烈交给马可·波罗一项任务：到南方

去进行一次调查，去了解南方的农业及手工业的生产

状况，时间是半年到一年。这对马可·波罗来说，简

直算得上是一份美差。

马可·波罗告别父亲和叔叔，带着一支护送队

从大都出发了。因为走遍南方需要花很长时间，马

可·波罗决定先考察东部地区，于是他们向东南方向

前行。

不久后，马可·波罗和随从到了黄河。渡过大

河，便进入淮安。淮安是一个繁荣的海港和贸易中

心，从那里沿着长长的石砌堤道，越过黄河三角洲沼

泽地，就到了出产丝绸的城市——宝应。再经过一些

小城市，继续前进，他们到了富庶的江都。接着走了

三天，来到了产盐区的中心——扬州。扬州有长达

4

Marco Polo in China

62

smaller cities, they arrived at Jiangdu and arrived three days later at Yangzhou, the leading producer of salt. Yangzhou had ports that spanned several miles, as well as numerous temples and houses. At some of the major saltpans in the region, a multitude of workers could be seen working diligently under the watchful eyes of the supervisors. The workers put together huge mountains of salt, and water was filtered through them. The salty water would then be channeled via pipelines into gigantic troughs, where it would be heated to boiling point, thus producing h i g h - q u a l i t y p u re s a l t . D u e t o t h e v e r y m u c h developed salt industry, the city was heavily taxed

长江三峡。长江是中国第一长河，美丽的三峡风光给马可·波罗留下了深刻的印象。

The Three Gorges along the Yangtze River, the longest river in China. The scenic Three Gorges left a deep impression in Marco Polo.


63

数里的码头、无数的庙宇和楼房。扬州的一些大盐

田里，成千上万的工人在监工监视下，每天辛苦地工

作。他们堆起高大的盐堆，水从盐堆里滤过，盐水

用管子导流至巨大的槽中煮开，最终产出高质量的纯

盐。因为盐业发达，这里每年要交给国库很多税银。

他们继续向长江进发。那天，当长江横亘在马

可·波罗眼前时，他默默无语地在江边伫立了很久。

此前，他见过底格里斯河，不久前又见过中国的黄

河，但还从没见过如此广阔浩瀚的大江。江的对岸十

分遥远，透过江上的薄雾，几乎无法看清。江面上，

大大小小的帆船、木筏络绎不绝，交通拥挤繁忙。马

可·波罗还见到了一些雄伟的船只：高高的船头和船

尾，有四根船桅，张着的大帆篷是用芦苇制成的。以

前，他从未见过这么大的船。他不由感慨，中国真是

一个神奇的国度。

长江是中国主要的水上交通通道。马可·波罗从

航运官员和商船船长那儿搜集来的统计数字，大到难

以令人相信。后来，他亲自去作了核实。他还进一步

了解到，长江发源于青藏高原，沿途汇合了700多个支

流。长江两岸，分布着200多个城市，其中许多是人口

Marco Polo in China

64

every year. From Yangzhou, they continued to head towards

the Yangtze River. That day, as the wide expanse of the Yangtze River fell into Marco Polo’s view, he was awed into silence. He stood by the river for a long time, reflecting on all the great rivers he had once passed. The Tigris River and the Yellow River, both of which he had seen, were unable to match the grandeur of the great Yangtze River. The banks of the Yangtze River were very far apart from each other. Through the thin layer of mist, it was almost impossible to see c learly what was on the other s ide. On the r iver, boats and vessels of a l l s izes thronged the busy waterway. One particularly huge boat caught Marco Polo’s attention. It consisted of towering bow and stern, four masts, and a sail that was made of reed. It was the first time he saw such a massive vessel. He could not help but ponder how magical China was.

The Yangtze River was China’s major waterway in water transportation. The data collected by Marco Polo from the naval officers and captains of merchant ships was of an astounding figure. Later, Marco Polo personally verified the data and was proven accurate. He further discovered that the Yangtze River had its source in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and had a vast


65

众多、商业发达的大城市。由于常年刮着逆风，船可

以借风力逆流而上。风停过后，由马匹或人力拉着船

只往上游行驶。

他们骑马东行，到了繁荣的河港真洲。马可·波

罗数了一下，那里一天当中就有5000只船在港口停

泊，装卸货物。他从当地一位课税官员那儿得知，那

里每年有20多万只船往上游行驶。

马可·波罗花了三个月的时间，勘查了襄阳、重

庆等长江中上游的重要城市。重庆建于长江及其主要

支流嘉陵江的汇合处，是贵州、云南和西藏一带广大

内地的贸易中心。马可·波罗在重庆坐船顺流而下，

穿过了两岸高耸入云、史前时期就已经存在的峡谷，

也就是著名的三峡。三峡多激流险滩，水势十分湍

急。沿途有很多古庙，筑于悬崖绝壁之上。这些美

丽而更富有原始气息的自然景象，深深地印入了马

可·波罗的脑海。

马可·波罗乘船行驶了30天后，又到了开阔的长

江下游地区。他们一行人下了船，骑马往南，到了贸

易中心镇江。从这里，取道盛产丝绸的美丽城市苏

州，最后到达南宋（1127—1279）都城杭州。

Marco Polo in China

66

network of over 700 tributaries. Spread across both sides of the Yangtze River were over 200 cities—many of which were densely populated and well developed in trade and commerce. As there was an year-round headwind, which significantly aided in leading the vessels and ships heading upriver. When the wind died down, horses and manual labor would take over by pulling the vessels attached to ropes upriver along the banks.

Subsequently, Marco Polo and his expedition rode on horses eastward, and arrived at a river-port city Zhenzhou. Marco Polo surveyed the number of boats berthed at the busy port and counted a whopping 5,000. He found out from a local tax official that every year, a total of over 200,000 boats and vessels sailed upriver from Zhenzhou.

M a r c o P o l o s p e n t t h r e e m o n t h s i n s p e c t i n g Xiangyang, Chongqing and other major ci t ies in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Chongqing was located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and i ts main tr ibutary, J ial inging River. I t was a major trading center between Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet. Marco Polo went aboard a ship at Chongqing and sailed downstream, passing through the Three Gorges. There, the waters were strewn with rapids and turbulences. Along the way, Marco Polo saw


67

有人说，如果将苏州称为“地上之城”，那么杭

州就是“天上之城”。凡是来过这座城市的游人，无

不交口称赞，认为他们到了天堂。马可·波罗对杭州

“天上之城”的美誉，同样深表赞同。

从1127年开始，杭州一直是南宋王朝的都城。杭

州城方圆足有100多里，全城河流纵横。河流将城中

的污垢、垃圾全部冲走，因此城里清洁卫生、空气清

新。杭州的街道很宽，大马车来来往往，畅通无阻。

水上交通也很发达，主要河道上的石桥桥拱都很高，

杭州西湖。杭州是马可·波罗最喜爱的中国城市之一，他赞其为“天上之城”。

West Lake in Hangzhou, one of Marco Polo’s favorite cities in China. He described it as the City of Heaven.

Marco Polo in China

68

many ancient temples that were perched precariously on sharp cliffs . He was also struck by the rustic, natural beauty of the surroundings.

After sailing for 30 days, Marco Polo reached the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The expedition team disembarked and rode on horses down south to the trading center, Zhenjiang. From there, they traveled through the beautiful silk-producing city of Suzhou, and arrived at Hangzhou, the capital city of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279).

It was said that if Suzhou were the “City of the E a r t h , ” t h e n H a n g z h o u w o u l d b e t h e “ C i t y o f Heaven.” Every visitor to Hangzhou was arrested by its amazing beauty. It was as if they had arrived in heaven. Likewise, Marco Polo was full of praise and totally agreed that the reputation of Hangzhou as the “City of Heaven” was not an overstatement.

Beginning in 1127, Hangzhou had been the capital city of the Southern Song Dynasty. Hangzhou had a radius of over a hundred li, and was criss-crossed by a vast number of rivers. The rivers directed the filth and garbage away from the city, which kept the city clean and hygienic; its air constantly fresh and crisp. The streets of Hangzhou are wide and spacious, and horse-drawn carriages traversed the streets without obstruction. The water transportat ion was well-


69

可以通过最大的船只。街道两旁矗立着一幢幢美丽的

房屋，大都用上等木材建造，雕梁画柱，十分壮观。

城内除了无数小市场和商业区外，还有十个主要广

场。每个广场方圆都有半里，广场周围建有高楼。高

楼的底层被辟为商店，出售各种商品，从珠宝、服

饰、食物到波斯地毯和舶来香料，应有尽有。一周之

内的三天中，每个市场都有上万乡民来出售家禽、野

味、鲜鱼、水果和蔬菜。他们的大车都装得满满的，

这么多的东西每天都销售一空。

马可·波罗看了这座城市的人口统计数据，知道

杭州城内居住着160多万户人家。如果按平均每户五口

人计算，不算仆人、流动工人和成千上万的访问者，

统计出的数字已大得惊人。全世界找不出第二个城市

有这么大的规模。

杭州城内还有很多宏伟的宫殿、书院和庙宇。

杭州市民大都亲切友善，举止文雅，殷勤好客，马

可·波罗十分乐于和他们相处。

还有一件让马可·波罗感到惊讶的事。当地有数

百家浴池，每天都有大批市民前去洗浴，他们非常爱

清洁。

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70

developed, too. The stone bridges that straddled the river were built to reach high altitude, facilitating the passing of large vessels. On the sides of the streets were beautiful houses constructed using fine-quality wood. The pil lars and beams of the houses were exquisitely crafted, adding to the grandeur of their appearances. Within the city were countless markets a n d t r a d i n g a re a s , a n d 1 0 ma j o r sq u a re s . Ea c h square spanned a radius of half a li, and there were surrounded by tall buildings. The ground floor of the buildings were used as shops, selling an assortment of products, ranging from jewels to clothing and food, as well as Persian rugs and imported spices. Every three days of the week, every market would have poultry, wild games, fruit, vegetables and fish for sale. Every cart was filled to the brim, and yet was wiped clean towards the end of the day.

Marco Polo got hold of the population of the city, which numbered at over 1.6 million households. Base on a figure of 5 people per household, and excluding the servants, transient workers, and visitors to the city, the actual population of the city would have reached an astronomical figure. Another city of such scale could hardly be found elsewhere in the world.

Other than its advancements in trade, one could also find many grand palaces, education institutions


71

杭州城内有一个很大的图书馆，里面放满了卷轴

和书册，既有宋朝（960—1279）的国家档案，也有

诗集、传奇小说，还有珍贵的宗教经典。在这里，马

可·波罗看到了另一个奇迹：一台活字印刷机。有了

它，只要花上几天功夫，就可以印出上百本书来，无

须再辛辛苦苦地花上几个月的时间手抄。这一发明令

马可·波罗非常吃惊。他想，如果西方也有这样的技

术那该多好，书籍就能广为普及，人人都可以读到，

而不是只掌握在教会、贵族和有钱人手中。

吸引马可·波罗的还有杭州税务署。他仔细查看

了全年的税收报告，统计出杭州全年税收可达2240万

金币。

因为马可·波罗是重要的贵宾，他被安排住在杭

州城里最豪华的一家旅舍。这里的大厨曾是南宋宫廷

中的御厨。马可·波罗原先觉得在大都吃的膳食已经

十分可口，但如今和他在杭州吃的珍馐美味比起来，

简直不值一提。

马可·波罗办完公务后，又在杭州多待了两个星

期，四处游玩，流连忘返。最后，他依依不舍地离开

了这座让他情有独钟的城市。

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72

and temples in the city of Hangzhou. The residents of the city were friendly and kind, and were well-mannered and hospitable. Marco Polo was delighted to have the chance to interact with them.

Another thing that caught Marco Polo’s interest was the number of bathhouses in the city, which numbered hundreds. Every day, the bathhouses were thronged by a large number of bathers. This showed that the people of Hangzhou were very particular about personal cleanliness and hygiene.

There was a huge l ibrary in Hangzhou which housed a large collection of scrolls and books, as well as the archives of the Song Dynasty (960–1279), poems, novels and religious scriptures. It was in this library that Marco Polo discovered a rare find, a movable-type printing machine. With such a machine, up to a hundred books could be printed over a few days, leaving behind the arduous task of copying the text by hand. Marco Polo was amazed by this invention. He pondered how wonderful it would be if this invention could be brought to the west, thereby making books easily available to the masses, instead of having the power of knowledge in books held in the hands of only the church, the nobles and the wealthy.

Marco Polo was also impressed by the taxation


73

马可·波罗一行人继续向西南方行进，到了福

建。他主要查看了海港城市福州和厦门。这两个地方

的货物进口量甚至超过杭州。马可·波罗在那儿见到

了远洋航行的大帆船。这种船有四根或更多的船桅，

掌舵的有六个人。如此庞大的海船，马可·波罗以前

只是听说过，还从未见过。外国商人用象牙、珍珠和

龙涎香与中国人进行贸易。即使这些进口的货物全部

交纳10％的税，再除去30％—40％的运费，商人们仍

然可以赚到大钱。

马可·波罗跟随一位阿拉伯船长，坐船回到杭

州。船长向他展示了一个神奇的指南针。这是一项中

国人的发明。有了指南针，漂洋过海就安全多了。

马可·波罗返回杭州，又从杭州坐上一只官船，

沿着大运河，优哉游哉地回到了大都。

让马可·波罗又惊讶又感动的是，太子竟带了一

支仪仗队来码头迎接他！太子告诉他，他在旅行期间

送回的大量报告，深受大汗和御前会议大臣们的重

视，上至宫廷贵族，下到上都普通百姓，都渴望听到

每一次新送来的报告。在这之前，还从没人对中国东

南部和南部的几个大省作过如此详尽的描述。太子对

Marco Polo in China

74

bureau of Hangzhou. There, he perused the annual taxation report, and calculated that its total annual taxation came up to 22.4 million gold coins.

As Marco Polo was an important guest, he was put up at the city’s most luxurious hotel. Its main chef was the imperial chef of the Southern Song Dynasty. Comparing to the delicious cuisine that he had eaten in the city, the food that he tasted at the hotel was truly unforgettable.

After completing his official duties, Marco Polo extended his s tay in Hangzhou for another two weeks. He visited various places in the city and had an unforgettable time. Finally, he bid farewell to this beloved city of his, Hangzhou.

Marco Polo and his expedition continued towards the southeast and arrived at Fujian. Primarily, he wanted to inspect two seaport cities, Fuzhou and Xiamen, at which the volume of imports far exceeded that of Hangzhou. At Fujian, Marco Polo saw massive sailboats that were built to sail across oceans. These boats were usually equipped with more than four masts, and were navigated by six people. Before this, Marco Polo had only heard of such sailboats. Foreign traders frequently traded ivory tusks, pearls and ambergris with the Chinese. All these products were tagged to a tax of 10% and 30% to 40% freight


75

马可·波罗说：“你揭开了一个充满奇妙的世界。”

回到朝中，马可·波罗向12人御前会议呈交了他

写的总结报告。大汗亲自授予他“诺约”的称号，向

他颁发了盖有大汗御玺的御状和一块刻有狮子的金

牌。

在马可·波罗南下之前，蒙古帝国很多官员向

北京妙应寺白塔，1271年由元世祖忽必烈敕令建造，是元大都保留至今的重要建筑。

The white pagoda in Miaoying Temple, Beijing. It was built by Kublai Khan, and is an important building of the Yuan Dynasty still in existence today.

Marco Polo in China

76

charges, yet the merchants were still able to make a decent profit from it.

Boarded a ship captained by an Arab, Marco Polo set his course back to Hangzhou. The captain showed h im a compass , which was an invent ion o f the Chinese people. With the compass, it would certainly be safer to sail across the oceans.

Once Marco Polo reached Hangzhou, he swiftly boarded an imperial vessel and returned to the capital city, Dadu, via the Grand Canal.

What truly surprised and touched Marco Polo, as he sailed into Dadu, was finding out that the Crown Prince had come to the pier to welcome him back. The Crown Prince told him that all the reports and data that he had collected during his expedition were highly regarded by the emperor and the imperial officials. Hence, every person in the city, from the mass to the noble, was anticipating every detail that he had recorded. Before him, there had never been any other individual or project that had researched so deeply and comprehensively into the southeastern and southern regions of China. The Crown Prince declared to Marco Polo, “You have unveiled a world that is filled with wonder.”

Back at the imperial court, Marco Polo presented his final report to the 12-men Privy Council. Kublai


77

忽必烈建议，应举兵南征，靠杀戮征服南方。但马

可·波罗的考察和报告，印证了忽必烈最初的观点：

应该有效地治理南方，不断从南方获得利益，这远比

大肆虐杀，使之变为一片废墟明智得多。

因为马可·波罗的报告中大大赞扬杭州，朝中很

多官员提议将都府迁至杭州。忽必烈坚定地说：“我

们永远不会迁到那儿去，因为杭州只能使人贪图安逸

享乐。在大都，更接近我们蒙古人的心脏。我们决不

能忘了故土，不能使帝国的意志变得薄弱。”

马可·波罗还向大汗建议，应该好好利用宋朝的

档案。他说：“宋朝统治南方已有多年，他们的档案

中，保存了每一地区城市和村镇的课税记录。我们可

以以此为基础，来制定我们在南方的课税政策。”这

一建议得到大臣们的一致赞同，忽必烈本人也大加赞

赏。

1279年，忽必烈率领蒙古军队最终消灭南宋，统

一中国南北。对于一直生活在北方的蒙古人来说，如

何治理广大的南方地区，是一项全新的课题。身为骁

勇的游牧民族，他们擅长的是骑马征战，在管理城

市、发展生产方面几乎没有任何经验。

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78

Khan then personally conferred to him an imperial decree and a gold medall ion imprinted with the image of a lion.

Before Marco Polo traveled south, many court officials had suggested to Kublai Khan to attack the south, and to conquer that region by force. What Marco Polo had presented in his report supported the initial viewpoint of Kublai Khan with reference to this issue. It reinforced his determination to continue a proper management o f the southern reg ions , and unceasingly derived the benefits brought by the south. This would far surpass all the killings and violence, which would reduce the south into a wasteland.

As Marco Polo was a l l praise in his report on Hangzhou, many court officials suggested to the emperor to move the capital city to Hangzhou. Kublai Khan was very adamant about this as he announced, “We will never move the capital city anywhere else. Hangzhou is a city that is fit only for the hedonist. Dadu is where the soul of the Mongolian people resides. We must never forsake our homeland, neither shall we allow the will of the empire to become weak and frail.”

Marco Polo also suggested to the emperor to make good use of the Song Dynasty archives. He said, “The


79

鉴于马可·波罗的优异才能，忽必烈决定派他到

扬州任地方官，负责协调盐务的生产和运输，同时，

率领一批课税官，整理出扬州的课税情况。

马可·波罗带着新的使命，又一次踏上了南去的

道路。这次和他同行的，还有他的叔叔马泰奥·波

罗。

若干天后，他们到达扬州。当地官员为马可·波

罗举行了隆重的欢迎仪式。

扬州管辖24个城镇，商业和手工业都很发达，又

扬州，京杭大运河古邗沟遗址。马可·波罗当年从淮安沿着运河大堤，一路骑马来到扬州。

Ancient Han Ditch historical site of Jinghang Grand Canal, Yangzhou. That year, Marco Polo had traveled along the bank of the canal on horseback to Yangzhou.

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80

Song Dynasty had ruled over the south for many years. Its archives contained many records of the taxation in every district and town. We can make use of these records as a basis to formulate the taxation policies in the south.”

In 1279, Kublai Khan led the Mongolian army and defeated the Southern Song Dynasty, unifying the north and the south. For the Mongolians who had principally been living in the north, it was a totally new topic when i t came to governing the south. While they excelled as a nomadic people who were brave and were great horsemen, they were at a loss in managing the production and development of advanced cities.

Owing to Marco Polo’s excel lent capabi l i t ies , Kublai Khan decided to dispatch him to Yangzhou as its magistrate, to be in charge of and coordinate a l l m a t t e r s p e r t a i n i n g t o t h e p r o d u c t i o n a n d transportation of salt. Marco Polo was also to lead a group of tax officials to assist him in all taxation matters.

Taking with him his new mission, Marco Polo set foot once again on the path downward south. This time round, he had in his company, his uncle Matteo Polo.

A few days later, they arrived in Yangzhou. The


81

以武器制造闻名，许多军队都驻扎在这里，是举足轻

重的地方。

第一次来到扬州的马泰奥·波罗，觉得这座城市

处处都是小桥、流水，很像他们的家乡威尼斯。马

可·波罗却告诉他，扬州与威尼斯是完全不同的。

马可·波罗之所以这样说，是因为他先后两次来

到扬州，对比之下对这里有了更深入的了解。此时的

扬州作为被征服地，蒙古人的统治迹象到处可见，最

显著的就是当地百姓脸上那种漠然的表情。马可·波

罗注意到，为增加帝国国库的收入，这里的赋税比以

前更重了。街上

有大汗派出的庞

大的收税大军，

他们严密监视着

交易的进行，对

每一件成交的物

品都勒令缴税。

甚至连过路、过

桥，也有收过

路税的人。马

位于扬州天宁寺内的马可·波罗纪念馆。馆前的神兽雕像，是马可·波罗故乡

意大利威尼斯市赠送的。

The Marco Polo Museum located in Tianning Temple in Yangzhou. The sculpture of the mystical creature in front of the museum is a gift from Venice.

Marco Polo in China

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local officials threw a grand ceremony to welcome him.

Within Yangzhou’s jurisdiction were 24 cities and towns, which were all very advanced in trade and the handicrafts industry, and were famous for weaponry. Owing to that, many military troops were stationed at Yangzhou, making it a vital location.

As his first t ime in Yangzhou, Matteo Polo felt that the city was dotted with bridges and streams, very much like their hometown, Venice. Marco Polo commented that both Yangzhou and Venice were a world of difference.

The reason why Marco Polo made such a comment was the fact that over the two t imes that he had v i s i t e d Ya n g z h o u , h e h a d d e v e l o p e d a b e t t e r understanding of the city. By that time, Yangzhou w a s c o n q u e r e d b y t h e M o n g o l i a n s , a n d t h e i r sovereignty was apparent all over the city. What struck Marco Polo the most was the cold, apathetic expression that was splashed over the faces of the common people. The streets were taken over by the military officers assigned by Kublai Khan to collect taxes. They watched over every transaction that took place, ensuring that all items were taxed, including pedestrians who passed by a particular stretch of the road or a bridge. Marco Polo could not help but


83

可·波罗不禁联想，如果是在家乡威尼斯，百姓和商

贩们面对这样的苛捐杂税，又会有什么样的反应。

扬州地区生产的财富是惊人的，然而对当地绝大

部分老百姓而言，这一切与他们毫无关系，因为财富

都直接进入了大汗的国库和蒙古贵族手中。蒙古人虽

然统一了中国，但未能对江南进行很好的治理、开

发，而只是将这里作为奴役劳动力和攫取财富的基

地。

后来，每每马可·波罗回忆起他在蒙古人统治江

南的过程中所发挥的作用时，都不会有一丝一毫的自

豪感。他虽然在帮蒙古帝国做事，可他永远是一个西

方人，时刻以一个外国人的目光洞察着他在中国所见

到的一切。

除了扬州，马可·波罗还拜访了附近若干座城

市。

苏州城方圆60多里，到处都是小桥流水，幽静清

雅、端庄秀丽。城里大小桥梁总计竟有12000多座。

这里盛产绸缎，人口稠密。

瓜州位于水运交通的中心地带，众多河流、湖泊

和大运河贯穿全城。马可·波罗对宏伟的运河赞赏不

Marco Polo in China

84

wonder what it would be like if the exact same scene were to take place in his hometown, Venice. How would the common people and merchants there react to such exorbitant taxes and levies?

It was not untrue that the wealth generated in the Yangzhou region was astonishing. Yet to the majority of the common people, the wealth of the city had no relations to them. All the money had fallen straight into the possessions of the imperial treasury and the Mongolian nobles. Despite unifying China, the Mongolians were incompetent in the governing, developing and managing of the southern region. All they were interested in was to enslave the common people and generate wealth.

L a t e r , w h e n e v e r M a r c o P o l o r e c a l l e d h i s contr ibut ions to the Mongol ian ru lers over the southern part of China and how they had affected the people there, he would not have a single tinge of pride. Despite working for the Mongol empire, Marco Polo remained a Westerner, and he would always have a different insight of what he witnessed in China, as a foreigner.

Other than Yangzhou, Marco Polo also visited a number of cities in the region.

The city of Suzhou had a radius of over 60 li, and all over the city were streams and bridges, and was


85

已。运河将中国南北连接起来，长度惊人，为沿岸百

姓造福无穷。运河两岸有坚固、宽阔的河堤，使陆上

交通也非常方便。

在常州，马可·波罗发现当地的百姓尤其憎恨蒙

古人。他调查后才知道，这是因为当初蒙古军队在这

里杀害了很多无辜的百姓。

马可·波罗这一次的江南之行，收获极大。他不

但完成了调查税收的任务，还对南方的商业、水利、

交通作了全面的考察和研究。

从南方回来后，马可·波罗又以大汗特使的身

份，走遍了中国的西部地区。

从大都往西，他们很快到了永定河，这里距大都

只有16公里。永定河上的卢沟桥引起了马可·波罗极

大的兴趣。石桥长三百步，宽逾八步，可供十余人同

时骑马并行。桥上车马往来不断，热闹非凡。桥栏的

大理石雕刻更令人叹为观止，上面有大大小小的石狮

超过500个，千姿百态，造型非常可爱。桥下有24个

拱门和16个桥墩，船帆从下面穿梭行驶。马可·波罗

兴奋地对同伴说：“这是我见过的最美丽的桥！我们

威尼斯以桥梁著称，但是和这座桥相比，就大大逊色

Marco Polo in China

86

a beautiful and tranquil place. The city had a total of more than 12,000 bridges of all sizes. It was a key producer of silk and satin fabric, and was densely populated.

Guazhou was a center of water transportation, and many rivers and canals ran through the city. Marco Polo was very impressed by the Grand Canal, which connected the northern and southern parts of China into a huge network of waterways. It ran an extremely long course and everywhere it passed, the common people who resided at its banks would reap great benefits from the trade. Aided by sturdy and wide embankments, land transportation along the canals were well developed and convenient as well.

At Changzhou, Marco Polo found that the common p e o p l e w e re h a t e f u l o f t h e M o n g o l i a n s . U p o n investigation, he realized that it was because the Mongolian troops had massacred many innocent folks in this city.

M a r c o P o l o f e l t t h a t h e h a d a c c o m p l i s h e d tremendously in this particular trip to the region to the South of the Yangtze River. Not only had he completed his task in studying the taxation of the region, he had also compiled a comprehensive report on trade, water conservancy and transportation in the south.


87

了。”

从卢沟桥向西约50公里，到了涿州。那里土地肥

沃，商业发达，遍地都是葡萄园，让喜欢吃葡萄的马

可·波罗大饱口福。当地还盛产绫罗绸缎。

他们沿着驿道，继续向西南行去。十天之后，到

了太原。再向南继续走了七天，到达临汾。在那里，

马可·波罗又一次看到了美丽广阔的黄河。黄河水滔

马可·波罗在游记中盛赞卢沟桥的石狮。在中国民间，一直有“卢沟桥的狮子数不清”的说法。

Marco Polo once praised the stone lions that decorated Lugou Bridge. Chinese folklore has it that the lions on Lugou Bridge can never be counted.

Marco Polo in China

88

When he returned from the south, Marco Polo took on the position of the emperor ’s special envoy, and began his next task of inspecting the western regions of China.

Traveling west from Dadu, Marco Polo and his expedi t ion soon found themselves a t Yongding River, located 16 k i lometers f rom Dadu. Lugou Bridge, which straddled the river, caught the keen interest of Marco Polo. This stone bridge measures three hundred steps in length and eight steps in width, with the capacity to carry over ten people on horsebacks simultaneously. The bridge was thronged with people, carriages and horses; it was a vibrant s ight to behold. The rai l ings of the br idge were decorated with over 500 stunningly beautiful marble carvings that depicted lions of varying sizes. Marco Polo commented to his travel companion, “This is the most magnificent bridge I have ever seen! Venice may be well known for its bridges, but they are simply uncomparable to this particular bridge.”

From Lugou Bridge, Marco Polo traveled for 50 kilometers westward, and arrived at Zhuozhou. Here, the land was rich and fertile and its trade well developed. There were vineyards all over the place, and Marco Polo delighted in feasting on the grapes, growing in abundance. Zhuozhou was also a major


89

滔奔流，日夜不息地流向大海。两岸水草茂密，有很

多飞鸟栖息繁衍。黄河沿途，分布着众多村镇和城

市。

渡过黄河，马可·波罗他们到了西安。这座古都

气势恢宏，曾是中国历史上汉（前206—公元220）、

唐（618—907）等王朝的都城。当时，它仍是内地最

大的商业中心，交通方便，有很多的外国人。城郊则

到处是王陵、寺庙和亲王的宫殿。

黄河壶口瀑布。黄河是中国第二长河，也是世界上含沙量最多的河流。马可·波罗曾不止一

次领略黄河的壮观之美。

Hukou Falls, Yellow River. The Yellow River is the second longest river in China, and the river in the world with the highest concentration of sand in its waters. Marco Polo had, on more than one occasion, commented on the grandeur of the Yellow River.

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producer of silk and satin fabrics.Marco Polo then continued southwesterly and ten

days later, arrived at Taiyuan. From there, he and his expedition continued their journey for another seven days, and arrived at the city of Linfen. There, Marco Polo saw the beautiful Yellow River again. There were dense forestation along the banks of the river, and it was a perfect sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. There were also many villages and cities developed alongside the banks.

Crossing the Yellow River, Marco Polo and his expedition arrived at Xi’an, an ancient yet majestic ancient capital city of the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618–907) , among many others. At that time, Xi’an was still a big trading center of mainland China, and it was well developed with a good transportation network. Many foreign visitors could be seen in the city. On the outskirts of the city were mausoleums, temples and prince palaces.

After leaving Xi’an, Marco Polo arrived in Chengdu, which to him, was a magnificent city. Covering a radius of 30 kilometers, Chengdu was divided into three regions, each governed by one of three princes. This arrangement came to an end when Chengdu was conquered by the Mongolians. Marco Polo noticed that


91

离开西安，马可·波罗一行来到成都。在他看

来，成都是一座壮丽的城市，全城方圆30多公里。成

都曾经一分为三，由三个王子管辖，后来被大汗征

服。许多河流经过这里，桥梁也很多。

马可·波罗沿着长江行走了100天，走遍了四川境

内。途中，他遇见过狼、豹子、老虎等凶猛的野兽。

西安大雁塔，建于652年。马可·波罗提到，西安曾是几朝故

都，是许多世袭君王的长驻之所。

Dayan Pagoda, or Great Goose Pagoda, Xi’an, built in 652 AD. Marco Polo once mentioned that Xi’an was the capital city of many Chinese Dynasties, and was home to many rulers.

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there were also many rivers and bridges in the city.Traveling along the Yangtze River for another 100

days, Marco Polo had the opportunities to travel all of Sichuan region. On his journey, he saw many wild creatures such as leopards and tigers. He noticed that the local customs were very unique. He found that single women had the freedom to sleep with any man they chose. They could accept the expensive gifts and jewelry of foreign traders, and the more gifts they received, the more popular they became among the single men of the city.

Later, Marco Polo arrived in Yunnan, and he visited places such as Dali and Xishuangbanna.

I n e v e r y m i s s i o n t h a t h e undertook, Marco Polo had made detailed observation of the sights and sounds that he encountered along the way. All these interesting observations were exactly the things that Kublai Khan was most interested in. Each t ime after Marco Polo had submitted his report pertaining to his mission, i t would be fol lowed by a long session of his descriptions

元代青花瓷瓶。马可·波罗在游记中记录

了当时中国的瓷器生产情况。

Blue and white porcelain vase from the Yuan Dynasty. Marco Polo recorded details of the porcelain industry in his travelogue.


93

马可·波罗注意到，那里的民俗很特别：没有结婚的

女孩子有绝对的自由，她们可以与客商同居，接受他

们的珠宝、装饰品等礼物。收到的礼物越多，就表示

姑娘越受欢迎，会成为未婚男子竞相追逐的目标。

然后，马可·波罗到了云南，游走了大理、西双

版纳等地。

马可·波罗在每次履行使命的过程中，都非常留

马可·波罗在云南见到的收集珍珠和绿松石的商人。（15世纪《奇迹

之书》插画）

Merchants who dealt in pearls and turquoise stones that Marco Polo saw in Yunnan. (Taken from the 15th century The Travels of Marco Polo.)

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94

o f e v e r y t h i n g t h a t h e s a w o n h i s j o u r n e y. H i s descriptions were exciting and lively, which led the emperor to reinforce his opinion of Marco Polo as a trustworthy man with the great judgment.

Kublai Khan increasingly regarded Marco Polo highly in court. Other than China itself, he would also send Marco Polo to other sovereign nations and territories for missions. Due to such opportunities, Marco Polo obtained a deeper understanding of this unique part of the world, more than any other person.

Other than inspection of various countries and regions, one of the main contributions of Marco Polo to Yuan government was assisting the emperor in eliminating the traitorous minister, Ahmad Fanakati.

Ahmad once suggested to the emperor to prohibit private salt trading. At the same time, he rallied to develop a national steel industry. All these efforts helped to alleviate the financial crisis that affected the nation at that time. Because of that, he was highly regarded by the emperor, who supported Ahmad in almost every suggestion he brought up. However, Ahmad, who was then favored by the emperor, started becoming arrogant, and fell into a series of corruption and law-breaking activities. The emperor was kept in the dark.

Finally, the Crown Prince decided to report on Ahmad. He went to Kublai Khan, and informed him of all the


95

意沿途各地的新鲜事和奇特之处——这些都是忽必烈

大汗最感兴趣的。他回到大都拜见大汗时，会先交上

一份关于他所负使命的详细说明，然后就开始讲述沿

途见到的、听到的各种奇闻异事。他的讲述全面而生

动，让大汗进一步觉得，他是一个具有正确判断力、

值得信任的人。

忽必烈越来越器重马可·波罗。除了中国各地，

他还常常派马可·波罗前往蒙古帝国其他领地和别的

国家履行使命。马可·波罗也因而比其他人对这部分

世界的独特性有了更多更深入的了解。

除了考察各地，马可·波罗还为元朝政府作过一

项大贡献，那就是帮助大汗和太子铲除朝廷的奸臣阿

合马。

阿合马曾建议忽必烈禁止私人经营盐业，同时大

力兴办国营炼铁业，解决了当时国家面临的财政危

机。因此大汗非常欣赏他，对他几乎言听计从。得宠

的阿合马渐渐变得骄纵起来，甚至贪赃枉法，无恶不

作。大汗却一直被蒙在鼓里，完全不知情。

终于，太子决定告发阿合马。他向大汗列举了很

多阿合马所做的坏事。谁知大汗根本不相信太子所

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96

misdeeds that Ahmad had been engaging in. To his astonishment, the emperor believed none of what he heard. The Crown Prince was utterly disappointed. Marco Polo encouraged him to practice patience. He said, “A fox won’t be able to hide its tail for long. As long as we are prepared, and patient, once he lets his tail out, we will nab him.”

Indeed, the common people soon found Ahmad atrocities intolerable and revolted against him. Every day, Ahmad’s victims would gather outside the courthouse and tearfully appealed for justice to be served. After a period of time, such events caught the attention of the emperor. He consulted Marco Polo and asked for his opinions. To this request, Marco Polo told the emperor everything that he knew with regard to Ahmad’s evil deeds. Finally, the emperor realized that Ahmad was an evil man, and ordered for him to be executed.

The Crown Prince was extremely pleased with the outcome. He was thankful to Marco Polo for his role in successfully persuading the emperor, and putting the matter to rest at last.


97

说，太子失望极了。马可·波罗鼓励太子：“狐狸的

伪装是不会持久的。我们只要作好准备，耐心等待，

他一露出尾巴，就狠狠抓住他。”

果然，百姓对阿合马的恶行忍无可忍，自发行动

起来。那些受害者每天都聚集在宫门外，哭泣、告

状。时间一长，自然引起了大汗的重视。大汗向马

可·波罗询问他对这件事的看法，马可·波罗把自己

知道的阿合马的所有罪恶全部说了出来。大汗终于认

清了阿合马的真面目，下令杀了这个奸臣。

太子对这样的结果满意极了。他非常感谢马

可·波罗，如果没有马可·波罗帮忙说服大汗，这件

事是不会这么顺利的。

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Marco Polo’s Perception of the Mongol Empire

In his travelogue, Marco Polo was full of praise for Kublai Khan and his country. In his view, the Mongol Empire was the most prosperous empire in human history, whereas Kublai Khan was the world’s most powerful ruler.

Marco Polo described in detail a number of matters relating to Kublai Khan, such as the emperor’s birthday and the Lunar New Year celebrations, as well as Kublai Khan’s hunting expedition, the free-hawks-activities, and Kublai Khan’s empress and concubines, etc.

Marco Polo also documented many battles of the Mongol Empire’s expedition to the West and South. But Marco Polo had not expected, this powerful empire, built on expeditions, blood and fire, actually lasted for only 100 years, before it came crushing down.


99

马可·波罗眼中的蒙古帝国

马可·波罗在游记中对蒙古大汗和他的国家有许多赞

誉之词。他认为，蒙古帝国是人类有史以来最繁盛的帝

国，忽必烈则是世界上最强大的君主。

马可·波罗详细地描写了很多与忽必烈有关的事情，

如忽必烈生日和新年的庆祝仪式，忽必烈亲自主持的狩

猎、放鹰活动，以及忽必烈的皇后、妃子等。

对于蒙古帝国在西征、南下中经历的多次战役，马

可·波罗也有所记载。但马可·波罗不会料到，这个建筑

在征伐与血火之上的强大帝国，竟然仅仅持续了100多年

就轰然倒塌。

100

A Glorious Homecoming

Time flew, before long, Marco Polo, his father and his uncle had served in the Yuan Dynasty

court for more than 10 years. They began missing home and long to return to Venice. Meanwhile, they were considering the fact that Kublai Khan was getting older and might die anytime—if they did not leave when he was still alive, they could very well not get the permission to leave for home.

Marco Polo had brought up the issue of returning to Venice to the emperor a number of times, but the emperor could not bear to see him leave. He advised Marco Polo to not risk his life again, as the journey home would be paved with dangers and obstacles. He also promised Marco Polo that if they stayed, he would give them anything they wanted.

One day, three envoys from Iekhanate (Persia) came to China with a marriage proposal. Kublai Khan agreed to it and bestowed Princess Cocachin to the Persian king.

V

101

荣归家乡

时间飞快流逝，马可·波罗家族三人在元朝宫廷

供职已有十多年。时间长了，他们难免会思念自己的

家乡——遥远的威尼斯。同时他们考虑到忽必烈大汗

的年龄越来越大，如果不趁大汗健在的时候回去，或

许以后就再也无法得到批准返回家乡了。

马可·波罗多次向大汗提出回家的请求，可大汗

一直舍不得他离开。大汗说，他们回去的路上会遇到

很多的艰难，不要再去冒生命危险了。大汗还许下承

诺：只要他们不回国，想要什么，就可以给他们什

么。

一天，波斯伊尔汗国派出三位使臣前来中国，为他

们的国王求婚。忽必烈同意了求婚请求，选出17岁的阔

阔真为元室公主，嫁给伊尔汗国王为妃。使臣和阔阔真

准备从陆路返回伊尔汗国，不巧遇上蒙古各王之间争

5

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102

The envoys was preparing for the journey back to Persia, but was stranded in the capital due to military conflicts between the Mongol warlords, causing the roads to be impassable.

At that time, Marco Polo had just returned from a mission to India. He went to the emperor immediately and reported to him his experiences on his journey. The three envoys got wind of it, and was certain that Marco Polo was a competent navigator. They requested Marco Polo to escort them to Persia aboard his ship. This was great news to the Polo family. They requested the envoys to formally seek the emperor ’s consent. The emperor could not bear to see Marco Polo leave, but in the end, he relented. However, he requested Marco Polo to return to China after they had stayed in Italy for some time. Marco Polo agreed.

Kublai Khan bestowed Marco Polo, as well as his father and his uncle, two gold medallions and many valuable items. He ordered 14 vessels, carrying enough food and supplies to last for two years, to go along with Marco Polo. Kublai Khan also wrote several letters for Marco Polo to be delivered to the kings of France, England and Spain.

In 1291, Marco Polo and his father and his uncle finally set sail from Quanzhou of Fujian Province, leaving behind the China that they had resided in for the last 17 years.


103

战，道路阻塞，无法通过，只好留在大都。

这时，马可·波罗刚好率使船从印度回来，向大

汗报告了沿途各国的情况和航行经过。三位使臣得知

这一消息，认为马可·波罗熟悉航海，便想搭乘他

们的船回国。使臣与马可·波罗他们商量此事，马

可·波罗一家求之不得，便让使臣出面向大汗汇报，

请求他的批准。大汗虽然非常不舍，但也只能同意，

不过他要求马可·波罗三人回到意大利后，过些日子

再来中国。马可·波罗答应了。

忽必烈大汗赐给马可·波罗他们两块金牌和很多

财物，又下令为他们准备了14艘大船，船上装着足够

吃两年的粮食和其他必需用品。大汗还写了几封信，

让马可·波罗带给法国、英国、西班牙等国的国王。

1291年，马可·波罗和他的父亲、叔叔一道乘船

从福建泉州出发，离开已经生活了17年的中国。

受大汗委托，马可·波罗他们一路非常小心地照顾

阔阔真，公主也把他们当作自己的亲人。海上风云多

变，航行异常艰苦，他们用了两年半时间才到达波斯。

从泉州出发时，船上有随从人员600多人，加上水手共

1000人；到达波斯上岸时，仅剩下了18人。

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Under the commission of the emperor, Marco Polo took great care of Princess Cocachin, who regarded Marco Polo and his family as her own. The conditions at sea were unpredictable and the journey at sea was full of perils. It took them two-and-a-half years to reach Persia. Of the 1,600 workers and sailors who boarded the ships at Quanzhou, only 18 remained when the party disembarked at Persia.

When Marco Polo arrived in Persia, King Arghun had already passed away. According to local customs, Princess Cocachin was married to the succeeding King Ghazan.

In Persia, Marco Polo and his family rested for nine months. When they were about to set sail for Venice, Cocachin gave them four gold medallions as presents. Engraved on the medallions were the royal decree of King Ghazan, with the instruct ion to provide Marco Polo and his family horses, travel expenses and armed guards along the way. Because of this, Marco Polo and his family were warmly received everywhere they stopped at along the journey.

During his journey, Marco Polo received the news that Kublai Khan had passed away. He was devastated and dismissed his plan to return to China. To Marco Polo, Kublai Khan was a brave, wise and just ruler. Later, he had this to say about Kublai Khan: “This is a man who


105

马可·波罗他们到达伊尔汗国时，原国王阿鲁浑

汗已经去世。按照当地的习俗，阔阔真被许配给新国

王合赞汗。

马可·波罗一家人在伊尔汗国休息了九个月。他

们准备继续启航返回威尼斯时，阔阔真送给他们四块

金牌。金牌上刻有伊尔汗国国王的旨令，要求沿途各

地向马可·波罗一家提供马匹、费用和护卫人员。因

此，一路上，马可·波罗他们都受到了热情的招待。

旅途中，马可·波罗知道了忽必烈大汗去世的消

息。他非常悲痛，同时也取消了重新回到中国的计

福建泉州港岸边的马可·波罗出航纪念碑。1291年，马可·波罗一家从这里出发，离开中国。

The monument that commemorate Marco Polo’s departure from China in Quanzhou. Fujian, This port is where Marco Polo and his family set off toward home.

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106

was only second to god. He was the wisest and most capable person, a great ruler of his people and empire, and also the finest character.

At last, the trade vessel sailed through the Dardanelles Strait, the Aegean Sea, and entered the Adriatic Sea. The vessel carried on towards the northwestern direction, and proceeded slowly to Venice. As Venice gradually came into their view, Marco Polo and his family were swept by a massive wave of emotion.

When Marco Polo left Venice, he was only a 17-year-old young man. Now, he was 42 years old, donning a thick beard.

Setting foot on their homeland for the first time in over two decades, the three men broke into tears. Soon, they were in disagreement on how they should appear in front of their fellow countrymen.

Nicolo Polo suggested putting on the most beautiful silk clothing, bejeweled rings and a hat decorated with pearls. This would make them stand out from the crowd as someone who had both wealth and status. Matteo Polo suggested that they should send someone to inform their family and relatives, so that they would be prepared for their return. Marco Polo disagreed with them, saying that they should give their family and relatives a surprise. He also warned them against showing off their wealth. At Marco Polo’s insistence, his father and uncle decided to


107

划。在马可·波罗眼中，忽必烈大

汗是一位勇敢、智慧和公正的统

治者。他后来这样称赞大汗：

“这个人仅次于上帝，他是

最具智慧和最有能力的人，

是臣民和帝国最好的统治者，

也是有史以来具有最优秀品格的

人。”

终于，商船穿过了达达尼尔

海峡，越过地中海东北部的爱

琴海，进入亚得里亚海域，朝着西北方向，渐渐驶近

威尼斯。随着离家乡越来越近，马可·波罗一家三人

的心情无比激动。

离开威尼斯的时候，马可·波罗还是17岁的小伙

子。如今，他已经42岁了，长了一大把胡子！

踏上阔别20多年的家乡，一家三人无不热泪盈

眶。对于应该以怎样的面貌出现在家乡人面前，他们

却产生了分歧。

尼科洛·波罗主张穿上最漂亮的丝绸衣服，戴上

宝石戒指和镶满珍珠的帽子，以显示他们现在的身份

中国古人发明的指南针。马可·波罗亲身体验了它在

远洋航海中的重要作用，并在游记中作了介绍。

The compass, invented by the ancient Chinese. Marco Polo had a first-hand experience of its importance at sea, which he introduced in his book.

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108

follow his advice.The three men checked into a local hotel. After dinner,

all three of them put on Mongolian outfits, which were brand new when they departed China, and had now become rather worn-out after being at sea for the last couple of years. However, Marco Polo felt that more needed to be done, and went on to tear a few holes in his clothes.

They finally came to their house. He stood on the step in front of the door and rang the bell.

“Who is it?” came a voice from the house.“It’s me, Marco Polo.” He struggled to keep speak

Italian accurately, as he had already become more familiar with the Mongolian language.

Nobody came to the door as everyone in the house thought someone was playing a prank on them. Marco Polo rang the bell again, announcing loudly his name, as well as his father’s and uncle’s names.

There was a brief moment of hesitation in the house. Everyone thought the three men had long perished in a foreign land, how could they possibly show up now?

Finally, someone opened the door. He scrutinized the three men, who looked very much like vagabonds. After sometime, he was finally able to identify them. They were indeed Nicolo Polo, Matteo Polo, and Marco Polo!

The neighbors soon got wind of these three men’s


109

和富有。马泰奥·波罗也认为应该让人先回去通报一

声，让照管房屋的亲戚作好准备。马可·波罗却不赞

同，他说应该给家人惊喜，不要提前告诉他们，也不

要让大家一眼看出他们的富有。在马可·波罗的再三

坚持下，父亲和叔叔只好听从他的安排。

他们住进了一家旅店。晚饭之后，三人都换上了

蒙古服装。这些衣服在离开中国时还是崭新的，但经

过几年艰辛的海上航行，早就显得陈旧了。马可·波

罗觉得这还不够，又动手把衣服撕破了好几个口子。

他们来到自己家门前。马可·波罗踏上台阶，举

手拉了一下门铃。

“谁啊?”里面传出声音。

“是我，马可·波罗。”已经习惯说蒙古话的

他，努力用尽可能标准的威尼斯腔回答。

屋子里的人以为是有人在开玩笑，没加理睬。马

可·波罗又拉动门铃，大声报着自己和父亲、叔叔的

名字。

里面的人犹豫了。大家都以为这三个人早就死在

外国了，怎么会突然又回来了呢？

终于有人打开房门，仔细打量门外三个打扮得像

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110

return, and came to see them. They had loads of questions for them, and Marco Polo, his father and uncle answered them tirelessly. They were all excited to share with them all their experiences in the last 24 years.

Several days later, they held a scrumptious feast for all their relatives and friends. Once the guests were all settled at the tables, Marco Polo got the servant to bring a basin of water for them to wash their hands. They were rather puzzled by this gesture, to which Marco Polo explained that it was a habit of the Mongolians to wash their hands before eating, so that they could pick up their food with clean hands.

It was a marvelous feast, and the guests were especially taken by the variety of Oriental cuisines. It was an eye-opener for them. There was a dish that was made up of something long, thin, white and soft, which was smelled delicious. All the guests put in great effort in picking it up with their forks, but to no avail. They turned to look at the hosts, and saw that Marco Polo and his father and uncle were holding between their fingers, two thin sticks. They appeared to be rather apt with them, which appeared to be really useful in picking up food from the plate. The guest asked them eagerly what those two sticks were, and what it was that they were eating. Marco Polo told them that the pairs of sticks that they were using were called “chopsticks,” and the long and thin stuff was called


111

流浪汉一样的人。端详了

半天之后，他终于确认了他

们的身份。他们真的是尼科

洛·波罗、马泰奥·波罗和

马可·波罗！

周围的邻居也闻讯而

来。大家好奇地看着他们，

问东问西。马可·波罗和父

亲、叔叔激动地回答着大家

的问题，讲述他们过去20多

年的生活。

几天后，他们准备了丰

盛的酒宴，邀请所有的亲

朋好友前来做客。招呼客人就座后，马可·波罗让仆

人端出一个水盆，请客人们洗手。大家都很疑惑。马

可·波罗解释说，洗手是蒙古人在用餐前的习惯，为

的是可以用干净的手直接拿食物吃。

酒菜丰盛极了，尤其是席上的许多东方食物，让

客人们大开眼界。比如一盘细长而白软的食物，闻起

来很香，可客人们费了很大劲，也没办法用刀叉将它

威尼斯市的马可·波罗故居。当年马可·波罗和父亲、叔叔

阔别20多年后重返故乡，差点连这房子也认不出来了。

Venice, Marco Polo’s hometown. On their return after 20 years, Marco Polo and his family almost could not recognize this house, which was their home.

Marco Polo in China

112

“noodles.”When the feast began, Marco Polo, his father and uncle

were wearing long, red robes. Once they were seated at the table, they changed into cotton clothing, and gave the long robes to their servants. They explained to the guests that such was a Mongolian custom. After several courses of food, the trio changed into clothing made of goose feathers, and gave the cotton clothing to their servants, just like the first time. At the end of the feast, they were changed into casual clothing, and likewise, gave the goose feather clothing to their servants.

The guests were all surprised by their generosity. They did not understand how they could bear to give such expensive clothing to their servants. What happened afterwards truly shocked them. Marco Polo took out the torn and tattered clothing that they were wearing when they arrived in Venice. Then he used a sharp knife and cut open the seams of the clothing, exposing a number of rare jewels. Before long, the table was covered with sparkling gemstones. What actually happened was, before the trio left China, they converted all their money into rare gemstones. Who would have thought of this ingenious way of hiding these precious gems in their clothing? The guests were all dazzled by the fine jewels, which were as big as grapes, and came in a multitude of colors. The guests enjoyed the night tremendously, and they


113

们弄起来送进嘴里。再看看主人，他们三人都用自己

的右手拿着两根细细的棍子，很方便、灵活地就能将

食物夹起来。客人们惊讶地询问主人用的是什么工

具，吃的又是什么食物。马可·波罗告诉大家，他们

手里拿的，叫做筷子，那长长的食物，叫做面条。

宴会开始时，马可·波罗他们穿的是下摆拖地的深

红色长袍。入席后，他们换上用锦缎缝制的衣服，并把

脱下的长袍送给仆人。他们对客人解释说，这是按照蒙

古人的风俗进行的。上过几道菜后，三人又换上天鹅绒

衣服，把刚才的锦缎衣服也送给仆人。宴会结束，他们

又换回日常服装，同样把天鹅绒衣服送给仆人。

看到他们毫不吝惜地把这么贵重的衣服送给仆

役，宾客们都惊呆了。让他们更吃惊的还在后头。马

可·波罗从另一个房间拿出了他们刚刚回到威尼斯时

穿的旧衣服，用尖刀挑开衣缝，从中取出一件件珠

宝。不一会儿，桌子上就摆满了五光十色的宝石。原

来，他们离开大都时，将所有积蓄都换成了珠宝，而

且用常人想不到的办法，把珠宝缝在衣服里。眼前的

这些稀世珍宝，使客人们眼花缭乱，目瞪口呆。那些

珍珠，最大的有葡萄那么大，宝石有红的、蓝的、黄

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114

embraced the three hosts, expressing their admiration and respect for them. All of them agreed unanimously that Marco Polo and his family were the pride and honor of Venice.

The story of Marco Polo soon spread far and wide. They were visited by a score of Venetians who were all eager to hear a piece of their exciting experiences in the Orient. Many younger men came to chat with Marco Polo every day, and asked him all sorts of questions. Marco Polo answered them patiently. Whenever he mentioned about Kublai Khan, he would say that the emperor’s revenue was a figure between 1 billion and 1.5 billion. And when it came to the rich natural resources of China, he would also mention similar figures. Soon, Marco Polo was given the nickname of “Millionaire Marco.” And his house was also referred to as the “Millionaire Residence.”


115

的、紫的，各种各样的颜色，光彩夺目。客人们尽情

欣赏，并热烈地拥抱三位主人，向他们表达尊敬和羡

慕。大家一致称赞，马可·波罗一家三人是威尼斯全

体市民的光荣和骄傲。

马可·波罗他们的故事很快传开了。全威尼斯的

人都争着来看望他们，请他们讲述东方的故事。很多

年轻人每天都来找马可·波罗聊天，问长问短。马

可·波罗耐心、详尽地回答他们。每当谈到忽必烈大

汗时，马可·波罗总是说，大汗的收入要用黄金1000

万或1500万这样巨大的数字来计算。谈到中国丰饶的

物产时，他也常常使用百万这样的数字。人们开玩笑

地送给他一个绰号，叫“百万马可”，他的家也因此

被称作“百万府”。

116

Authoring a Book in Prison

Soon, Marco Polo had returned to Venice for three years. In 1298, Venice was engaged in a fierce battle with another trading center of Italy, Genoa,

fighting over foreign trade markets. In order to protect himself and the business interest of Venice, Marco Polo bravely volunteered to fight in the war, and became the commander of naval fleet.

In one battle, Venice was defeated by Genoa, and Marco Polo lost his consciousness due to an injury. When he finally regained his consciousness, he found himself lying in the cabin of a Genoa vessel. Confined in the humid and cramped space with him were tens of Venetian soldiers. He could hear many wounded soldiers groaning in pain. Upon checking with a soldier next to him, he found out that they had arrived in the port of Genoa. Marco Polo was overwhelmed by the pain from his injury, and he was so weak that he needed to be supported by his servant.

VI

117

狱中著书

马可·波罗回到家乡，转眼过去了三年。1298

年，他的家乡威尼斯和意大利另外一个商业城市热那

亚之间，为了争夺对外贸易市场，爆发了一场激烈的

战争。为保卫威尼斯和自己的商业利益，马可·波罗

勇敢地投入了战斗，并在一条战舰上担任舰长。

在一次战役中，热那亚军队击败了威尼斯。马

可·波罗也不幸受伤昏迷，彻底失去了知觉。等他醒

来时，发现自己躺在一艘热那亚军队的船里。船舱里

关着几十名威尼斯战俘，空间狭小，空气潮湿难闻，

受伤的士兵都在痛苦地呻吟。他向旁边的士兵打听，

才知道他们已经到了热那亚港。马可·波罗浑身疼得

厉害，全身发软，无力地靠着他的仆人福尔济尼。

福尔济尼看到主人痛苦的样子，恳求看管他们的

热那亚士兵给马可·波罗一点水喝。士兵拒绝了。福

6

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118

His servant felt sorry to see Marco Polo in pain. He implored the Genoa soldiers to give some water to his master. The soldiers refused. Marco Polo’s servant pleaded again, “He is our commander, his name is Marco Polo, a renowned noble and millionaire of Venice.” But it was all in vain, the soldiers declined him water.

For the next few days, Marco Polo was delirious with a high fever. In those moments, he felt if he had returned to China, and began babbling about his experiences in the Orient.

The other prisoners were unconvinced by what they heard from Marco Polo’s mouth. They felt that he was lying and gave him a beating. Marco Polo’s servant was very affected by his master ’s sufferings, and tried to protect him. He shouted, “Stop hitting him! What he said was all true!”

Just then, the prison warden walked in. He demanded to know why the prisoners beat up Marco Polo. They pointed at Marco Polo and claimed that he was full of lies and was trying to deceive everyone. Weakened by his conditions, Marco Polo was unable to speak up and defend himself. Marco Polo’s servant then told the warden, “Sir, his name is Marco Polo and he is our commander. He used to be a merchant and traveled to faraway lands to trade. What he said was all true, and they are stories that tell of his travels to different places.


119

尔济尼又恳求说：“这是我们的队长，他叫马可·波

罗，他是威尼斯有名的贵族、百万富翁。”这也没

用，士兵仍然不给他水。

战俘们被转移到一所监狱。接下来的几天，马

可·波罗一直昏昏沉沉，高烧不断。在神志不清的日

子里，他恍惚中好像又回到了中国，于是他口中念念

有词，有意无意、断断续续地讲着自己在东方的经

历。

其他囚犯听到这些话，觉得马可·波罗是在撒

谎，狠狠地打了他。福尔济尼心疼极了，他拼命保护

马可·波罗，大声喊着：“不要打了！他说的都是真

的！”

这时，监狱长突然出现在牢房门口，质问这些囚

犯为什么要打架。囚犯们都指向马可·波罗，说这个

人满嘴假话，想欺骗大家。病重的马可·波罗已经无

法开口替自己辩解了。福尔济尼代他回答监狱长：

“先生，他叫马可·波罗，他是我们的队长。以前他

是一个商人，去过很远很远的地方。他所说的内容，

全部都是真的，都是有关他旅行过的地方的故事。他

没有撒谎，请您相信他。”

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120

He did not lie. Please believe what he said.”The warden was amused by what he just heard. He

asked, “Are the places he visited that amazing? And why wouldn’t the others believe him?”

The servant answered, “Sir, what he was telling were stories about places that are far, far away. The people and events that took place there were all very different from what we are familiar here. That’s why the others didn’t believe him. But, Sir, what he said was true. Besides that, he is a wealthy man who is worth millions. His family would be willing to pay a huge ransom to have him back.”

This finally caught the interest of the warden. He was actually a person who enjoyed listening to interesting stories. He said, “Alright, I’ll believe you two for now. Before his family comes to redeem his freedom, I would ensure his health and safety. Now follow me to another room. It would be more comfortable for him there, and there is someone who is very keen in telling stories.”

The servant was delighted, and hurriedly supported Marco Polo and followed the warden into another room. Indeed, it was a much cleaner and more comfortable room, furnished with tables, chairs and beds. Most importantly, there was a window in the room, which offered fresh air and a good view of the sky. It would be beneficial to Marco Polo’s recovery.


121

监狱长听了这些，觉得很有意思，便问：“他去

过的地方真的那么神奇吗？他讲的故事，为什么大家

都不相信？”

福尔济尼答道：“先生，他所讲的，都是很远很

远的地方的故事。那里的人和事，和我们这里完全不

一样，所以大家听了觉得不可信。可是先生，他说的

都是真的。而且，他家里非常富有，有上百万的财

产。他家人一定会用一大笔钱将他赎回去的。”

监狱长这下更感兴趣了，他

本来就是一个喜欢听新奇故事的

人。他说：“好吧，那我暂且相

信你们。在马可·波罗被赎回去

之前，我会保证他的安全。现

在，你们和我去另一个房间吧，

那里的条件比这里好，而且那个

房间里，还有一个也会讲故事的

人。”

福尔济尼高兴地扶着马可·波

罗，跟随监狱长来到了另一个房

间。这里果然干净、舒适多了，

1477年德文版《马可·波罗游记》封面，封面画像

是马可·波罗本人。这是该书的第一个印刷本。

The cover of the 1477 German edition of The Travels of Marco Polo. The portrait on the cover is Marco Polo. This is the first printed copy of the book.

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122

After sometime, under the meticulous care of the servant, Marco Polo finally got well. He started leaving his bed and walked around a little. And for the first time, he talked to his cellmate, who appeared to be a little older than Marco Polo. His cellmate introduced himself as Rustichello, and was from Pisa. He was imprisoned in a war between Pisa and Genoa.

“I was told that you’re a fine storyteller, and the warden is fond of reading the stories you wrote,” enquired Marco Polo.

Rustichello replied, “Yes, I’m a writer, and I once wrote the story of King Arthur and the knights at the round table. As for the warden, he was a keen listener and reader of stories. He was kind to me. I think he expects the same from you.”

“That’s not true. I’m not a writer. I’m just a merchant. What others heard were experiences that I encountered when I was traveling abroad,” corrected Marco Polo.

“You’re too modest. I heard the stories you spouted during your feverish moments. They are far better than those that I weaved. I’m sure you are better than me in making up stories!” Rustichello retorted.

“No, no. What I said was all true. They really happened. I didn’t make them up. All the people, the places, and events, they really existed.” Marco Polo tried to convince him.


123

既不潮湿，还有桌子、椅

子、床等家具。最重要的

是，房间有窗户，可以看

到外面的天空，呼吸到新

鲜的空气，这对马可·波

罗休养身体有很大的好

处。

过了些日子，在福尔

济尼的精心照顾下，马

可·波罗渐渐恢复了健

康。他开始有体力下床行

走，并第一次开口和他的

同屋聊天。看上去，这个

人年龄比马可·波罗稍微大一点。同屋告诉他，自己

叫鲁斯梯谦（Rustichello），来自比萨，是在比萨和热

那亚的战争中被俘的。

马可·波罗问道：“听说你很会讲故事，监狱长

也喜欢看你写的故事？”

鲁斯梯谦说：“是的，我靠写作谋生，写过一些

亚瑟王和圆桌骑士的故事。至于监狱长，他是一个喜

第一部《马可·波罗游记》中文译本于1913

年出版，魏易翻译，梁启超题写书名。

The first Chinese edition of The Travels of Marco Polo, published in 1913, and translated by Wei Yi. The book titled was written by Liang Qichao.

Marco Polo in China

124

Rustichello was speechless. He was silent for a moment, before asking Marco Polo, “Where did all the stories you tell took place? When were you there, and how long were you there for?”

“I was there since I left home with my father and uncle when I was 17. I lived there for almost 20 years. I only returned to Venice when I was 42. The place I went was called China.”

“China! Almost 20 years!” Rustichello was dumbstruck. He could not believe that this seemingly normal-looking Venetian actually had such legendary encounters. Not only that, he had had lived there, in such a faraway

1935年出版的《马可·波罗行记》，由冯承钧根据法文译本转译，是流行较广的中文译本。

The 1953 edition of The Travels of Marco Polo, translated from the French edition by Feng Chengjun. It is the most widely circulated Chinese edition of the book.


125

欢听故事、读故事的人，所以他对我不错。我想，他

对你也怀着同样的期望吧！”

“你错了，我不是一个作家，我只是一个商人。

他们听到的，只是我旅行中的亲身经历而已。”马

可·波罗纠正道。

“你太谦虚了。我听过你发烧时讲的故事，比我

编的那些更吸引人。你更会编故事呢！”鲁斯梯谦并

不相信。

“不，我讲的那些故事，没有一个是编的。那些

都是我的亲身经历，那些人、那些地方、那些事，都

是真实存在的。”马可·波罗非常认真地说。

鲁斯梯谦惊讶得说不出话来。他愣了半天，问马

可·波罗：“你讲的故事发生在哪里？你什么时候去

过那里？在那里待了多久？”

“我17岁的时候，和我的父亲、叔叔一起去了那

里，在那里住了近20年，直到42岁才回到威尼斯。我

去的地方，叫中国。”

“中国！近20年！”鲁斯梯谦万万没有想到，眼

前这个普通的威尼斯人，居然有过如此传奇的经历，

不但去过那么遥远的地方，还待了那么多年。他激动

Marco Polo in China

126

country, for a long period of time. He asked Marco Polo excitedly, “Do you still remember what happened there, all of it?”

“Of course, I do! I will never forget all those events.” Marco Polo looked into the distant, and said listlessly.

Rustichello was all excited. He held on to Marco Polo’s hand and pleaded sincerely, “Sir, if you can put those stories onto paper, it would be fantastic. It would definitely attract the interest of many people. Don’t you want to share all these experiences of yours? Do you want more people to know about them? These stories are amazing, and it would be a pity if you don’t write them down. Why don’t we collaborate? I can help you write your stories!”

After much consideration, Marco Polo agreed to Rustichello’s request.

Rustichello hurriedly sat at his table, took up his pen, laid out a paper, and wrote the following in French:

“To all the kings, generals, ministers, countrymen, and all people. If you wish to understand the different races in the world, to know more about the sights and sounds, customs and lifestyles of the people, then read the travelogues of Mr. Marco Polo!”

Mr. Marco Polo is an intelligent and learned Venetian. In order for all the people who did not have the experience of being in another country and take in the sights and


127

地问马可·波罗：“你还记得在那里发生的事吗？”

“当然了，那些事情，我一辈子都不会忘记。”

马可·波罗望着远方，怅惘地说。

鲁斯梯谦更激动了。他握着马可·波罗的手，真

诚地恳请道：“先生，如果将你的故事写出来，一定

非常精彩，一定会吸引很多的人。难道你不想让你所

经历的一切，被更多的人知道吗？这么精彩的故事，

如果不写下来，多么可惜啊！让我们一起合作，让我

写下你的故事吧！”

马可·波罗再三思量，终于答应了鲁斯梯谦的请

求。

鲁斯梯谦马上坐到桌前，拿起笔，铺开纸，用法

马可·波罗用意大利文书写的遗书，是研究其生平的重要原始材料

之一。

Marco Polo’s last words in Italian, an important primary source in studying his biography.

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128

sounds of the place and people to share in the incredible encounters of his, Mr. Marco Polo has decided to share all that he had encountered in simple languages, with the masses. The time of writing of the book is 1298. It is dictated to and recorded by his friend Rustichello, in the prison of Genoa…”

Just like that, Rustichello spent over four years writing the stories that Marco Polo dictated to him. Together, they completed the saga, entitled The Travels of Marco Polo.

After The Travels of Marco Polo was published, it became an instant best seller. Its popularity swiftly swept across the whole of Europe. In the early 14th Century, when Marco Polo was still alive, there were a number of versions made available in the ancient French language, and various dialects of the Italian and Venetian languages. They are still well preserved to date. In 1477, the first printed copies of The Travels of Marco Polo were made available to the masses, in the German language, followed by the Latin version.

Owing to the success of the book, Marco Polo rose in fame. As such, Genoa had no choice but to release him from imprisonment. From then on, Marco Polo resided in Venice, got married and continued with the running of his trade. He did not travel again. His father Nicolo Polo passed away in 1300, followed by his uncle, sometime between 1315 and 1320. In January, 1324, Marco Polo


129

语写下了下面的话：

“帝王将相们，市民们，所有的人们，你们如果

希望了解这个世界上的不同种族、异地风光和风土人

情的话，就请读一读马可·波罗先生的这部游记吧！

“马可·波罗先生是一位聪明而有学问的威尼斯

市民。为了让那些无缘身历其境、亲眼目睹、亲耳聆

听这一切的人，也能分享他的奥秘，他决定通过这部

游记，将亲自经历的各种见闻通俗易懂地披露出来，

公诸于众。本书的写作时间是在1298年，他在热那亚

的监狱里亲口对难友讲述游历的往事，由一位名叫鲁

斯梯谦的比萨人笔录下来……”

就这样，在监狱中，他们花了四年时间，由马

可·波罗口述，鲁斯梯谦笔录，共同完成了一部伟大

的作品，取名为《马可·波罗游记》。

《马可·波罗游记》成书后，备受欢迎，很快就

传遍欧洲。在14世纪初马可·波罗尚健在时，就已有

了各种手抄本，其中著名的有老法文本、意大利托斯

坎纳方言本、威尼斯方言本、拉丁文本等。到15世

纪欧洲活字印刷术诞生并普及前，已至少有138种手

抄本，且全部保存至今。1477年，首次出现了《马

Marco Polo in China

130

fell seriously ill, and he made a will to take care of his inheritance. After which, no one really knows how long Marco Polo was alive for. It was supposed that his death occurred after June 1325. His tomb was untraceable. According to his will, he should have been buried in St Laurence Church, and it was also believed that he was buried at the Church of St. Sorvino. No one knows how Marco Polo actually looked like. Any image or portrait of him is based on imagination.


131

可·波罗游记》的印刷文本，为德文版，1485年又出

版了拉丁文印刷本。迄今，全世界已出版了130多种语

言的译本。

因为这本书，马可·波罗声名远播，热那亚人不得

不将他释放。此后，马可·波罗安居威尼斯，娶妻成

家，继续经营商业，再也没有出外远游。他的父亲尼科

洛·波罗在1300年前去世，叔叔马泰奥·波罗在1315—

1320年间去世。1324年1月，马可·波罗病重，他请来

神甫，写下遗嘱，内容主要是对遗产的处理。这之后马

可·波罗又活了多久，没有人知道。他去世的日子，

应该不会在1325年6月之后。他的墓地现在已经找不到

了，按照他的意愿，他应该是被葬在威尼斯圣劳伦斯教

堂，但也有人说是葬在圣索比诺教堂。至于这位充满传

奇色彩的人物究竟长什么样子，也没有人真正知道。今

天人们能见到的他的画像，都是后人凭想象画的。

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Marco Polo’s Records of Other Countries in Asia

En route from Venice to China, Marco Polo passed by West Asia and Central Asia. During his tenure in the Yuan Dynasty, he was the ambassador to South Asia and Southeast Asia. In his travelogue, he had detailed description of the Asian countries in these areas.

Marco Polo recorded the natural resources of these countries, their trade conditions, as well as the peopleʼs language, customs, habits, religious beliefs and so on. He made detailed description of the palaces and pagodas that he saw in these countries, with particular emphasis on the abundance of gold and jewelry found in these countries.

However, there was a certain degree of exaggeration in the book, which were based on hearsay. For example, he said that in Japan the roof of the kingʼs palace was made of pure gold, and the rooms in the palace were all covered with gold bricks, even the window frames were made of pure gold.

Prior to the Marco Polo, there had not been an European who had such a broad and in-depth understanding of Asia.


133

马可·波罗对亚洲其他国家的记述

从威尼斯前往中国途中，马可·波罗途经了西亚、中

亚。在元朝任职期间，他曾出使南亚、东南亚。在游记

中，他对这些地区的亚洲国家作了大量篇幅的描述。

马可·波罗记录了这些国家的物产、贸易状况，以及

人们的语言、风俗、生活习惯、宗教信仰等情况。他对东

南亚、南亚各国的宫殿、佛塔着重进行了描绘，并特别强

调那里富有黄金、珠宝。

不过，游记中也有一些叙述过于夸张荒诞，应是道听

途说来的。例如他曾说日本有黄金无数，君王的宫殿里，

屋顶一律是纯金的，房间里全铺满了金砖，连窗框都是用

纯金制作的。

在马可·波罗之前，欧洲还从来没有一个人对亚洲有

过如此广泛、深入的了解。

134

A Great Travelogue

Since Rustichello completed The Travels of Marco Polo during his imprisonment, based on Marco Polo’s dictation, for over 700 years, the book has been

translated into many languages. Many scholars read and make comparisons in many versions available, and carry out many researches on it.

The Travels of Marco Polo is comprised of four volumes. The first volume tells the stories of Marco Polo’s encounters when he was traveling east, till the time he arrived at the upper capital of the Yuan Dynasty. The second volume tells the story of Marco Polo as a Yuan Dynasty court official, and his many visits to various parts of China during his career. The third volume includes Marco Polo’s travels to Japan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, and other islands in the Indian Ocean and East Africa. The fourth volume talks about the various conquests and wars of Mongolia and its wars with Russia. Each volume is divided into chapters, each

VII

135

伟大的游记

自从鲁思梯谦在狱中将马可·波罗的口述记录下

来，写成《马可·波罗游记》后，近700年来，世界各

地用各种文字辗转翻译，还有许多学者对照各种版本

进行校勘注释，做了大量的整理研究工作。

《马可·波罗游记》全书共分四卷。第一卷讲述

马可·波罗等人东游沿途见闻，直至他们到达元上都

为止；第二卷的内容主要是马可·波罗在元朝为官，

游历中国各地的经历；第三卷叙述了马可·波罗出游

日本、越南、斯里兰卡、印度尼西亚、印度、印度洋

沿岸诸岛及非洲东部等地的情况；第四卷概述成吉思

汗以来蒙古各汗国之间的战争和俄罗斯的情况。各卷

之下分章，每章叙述一地的情况或一件史事。全书共

有229章。

这是一部关于亚洲的游记，它记录了东亚、中

7

Marco Polo in China

136

describing a particular historical event, making up a total of 229 chapters.

The Travels of Marco Polo is a book about Asia. It records all the events and situations that happened in East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, and Southeast Asia. Many countries and cities are included. Most of Marco Polo’s descriptions of cities included their natural landscapes, local produces, weather conditions, trade and commerce, the people, religions, customs and practices.

The focus of The Travels of Marco Polo is undoubtedly China. Marco Polo resided in China for 17 years, and he traveled widely within the country, covering the regions in the northwest, north, southwestern and the south. In his travel stories, he eloquently describes the prosperous sights of the Chinese cities, the grandeur of the majestic palaces, the well developed transportation systems and infrastructure and the limitless extent of wealth.

The second volume that primarily describes China contains a total of 82 chapters takes up the largest proportion of the book. Most of the chapters tell the stories of Kublai Khan and the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, Dadu. Marco Polo describes Dadu as “a well organized chess set, and its beauty and perfection are beyond words.” On the architecture of the imperial palace, he describes the elaborately decorated walls, ceilings and roofs that were adorned with different vibrant colors, making them


137

亚、西亚、东南亚等亚洲各地的情况。书中涉及的

国家、城市众多。马可·波罗对这些国家、城市的介

绍，主要包括山川地形、物产、气候、商贾贸易、居

民、宗教信仰、风俗习惯等。

《马可·波罗游记》的重点，无疑是关于中国的

叙述。马可·波罗在中国生活17年，足迹所至，遍及

西北、华北、西南和华东等地。他在游记中以大量的

篇章，热情洋溢的语言，记述当时中国繁华的商业城

北京元大都城垣遗址公园中的蒙古马雕塑。元大都城墙为夯土筑成，今遗址尚存约12公里，

城墙外围还有护城河遗迹。

Sculptures of Mongolian horses at Yuan Dadu historical site in Beijing. The city walls were constructed using rammed earth. Twelve kilometers of the city walls still remain today, and it is surrounded by the relics of the city moat.

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138

look brilliant like crystals seen from afar. Marco Polo was very impressed by the elegance of the palaces, and the extraordinary décor of the interiors. He also described the prosperous sights of Beijing as an advanced and busy trading center, with a multitude of imported merchandise that far surpassed any other cities in the world. In fact, what he describes as Dadu was actually present day

《马可·波罗游记》插画：契丹人

A Khitan. An illustration taken from The Travels of Marco Polo.


139

市、华丽的宫殿建筑、发达的交通设施和无穷无尽的

财富。

以讲述中国为主的第二卷一共82章，在全书中比

重最大。其中有很多篇幅是关于元世祖忽必烈和元朝

首都大都的描述。马可·波罗在中国游历17年，在大

都居住的时间最长。他形容说，大都全城“规划有如

棋盘，其美善之极，未可言宣”。对于皇城里的宫殿

建筑，他描述道，“宫顶甚高，宫墙及房壁满涂金

银，并绘龙、兽、鸟、骑士形象”，“顶上之瓦，皆

红、黄、绿、蓝及其他诸色，上涂以釉，光泽灿烂，

犹如水晶，致使远处亦见此宫光辉。”大都宫殿屋宇

的富丽堂皇，以及那些异乎寻常的人工装饰，都使这

位旅行家大加赞叹。马可·波罗还记述了大都贸易发

达、商业繁盛的状况：“百物输入之众，有如川流之

不息。仅丝一项，每日入城者计有千车”，“外国巨

价异物及百物之输入此城者，世界诸城无能与比”。

他所盛赞的元大都，也就是今天的北京。读到《马

可·波罗游记》中这些记载，这座古城700多年前的面

貌，似乎又复现在我们眼前。

马可·波罗特别提到了大都16公里外的卢沟桥，

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140

Beijing. Reading such descriptions in The Travels of Marco Polo certainly helps one to recreate in the mind the ancient city of Beijing from more than 700 years ago.

Marco Polo also dedicated a section of his book on his beloved Hangzhou. In the book, it is written that Hangzhou was densely populated with almost 1.6 million houses. The city was clean and neat, and it was advanced in commerce, with a busy network of land and sea transportations. Marco Polo also mentioned that the people of Hangzhou were very friendly and hospitable towards foreign traders. He also sang praise of Xihu, or West Lake and likened his experience in this magnificent city as being in paradise.

Being a t rader, Marco Polo made very careful observation of the local produce and commercial activities whenever he might be. Throughout the history of trade, jewelry, spices and silk of the East had always been highly regarded by the Westerners. It was no exception that all these merchandises caught the special attention of Marco Polo. In his travel writings, when he mentioned China’s southern cities such as Baoying, Nanjing, Zhenjiang and Suzhou, he would never fail to give a special description of the local silk industry. When he describes Yunnan and Dali, he dwells substantially into the abundance of gold and silver produced by these cities. The whole idea of natural resources being available in abundance is


141

对它盛赞不已，夸它是世界上最美丽的桥。卢沟桥的

声名因而很快在欧洲传扬开来，欧洲人将它称为“马

可·波罗桥”。

马可·波罗对他钟爱的中国南方城市杭州也作了

详细记述。游记记载，杭州人烟稠密，市容整齐清

洁，商业发达，运货车船络绎不绝。马可·波罗还提

到，杭州人对外来的贸易商人十分热情。对于美丽的

西湖，他也赞不绝口。马可·波罗称这座城市“所供

给之快乐，世界诸城无有及之者，人处其中自信为置

《马可·波罗游记》插画：元代仕女

Yuan Dynasty ladies. An illustration taken from The Travels of Marco Polo.

Marco Polo in China

142

constantly read about throughout the book. This idea is also apparent in his description of India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, which produced all kinds of gemstones, pearls and spices in abundance.

Marco Polo’s description of China in his book is not only restricted to cities that were advanced and well developed. It also includes places that were secluded, primitive, and scarcely populated. Marco Polo had once visited the eastern region of Tibet when he made a trip to Yunnan. In The Travels of Marco Polo, he dedicated two chapters on Tibet itself. He describes the expanse of land that he saw, and the rivers that interconnected with one another, forming lakes and rivers across the land. The people of Tibet were many involved in agriculture and rearing livestock. They were dressed in simple and plain clothing, yet enjoyed a tremendous amount of carefree living. He mentions a kind of wild cattle that was huge and ferocious; as well as a strange-looking creature that emitted a strange substance from its bodies once every month. The substance was scattered over the ground and its scent could be detected from afar.

In The Travels of Marco Polo, two chapters touch on the currency of the Yuan Dynasty, and the use of coal, which had been in use for a long period of time by the Chinese people. According to Marco Polo, Kublai Khan located its mint in Dadu. There, its currency was


143

身天堂”。

马可·波罗是商人，

每到一处，都很留心观

察、记录当地物产和商业

情况。在历来的贸易中，

东方的珠宝、香料和丝绸

等物产一直被西方人视

为珍品，自然也引起了马

可·波罗的特别注意。

他在游记中提及宝应、南

京、镇江、苏州等中国南

方城市时，便突出描述了

这些地方的丝织工业。

讲到云南，则对当地盛

产黄金、白银作了很多记述，描绘“妇女腿臂带金银

圈”，又说大理“产金块甚饶，川湖及山中有之”。

类似的文字在《马可·波罗游记》中随处可见。他在

讲到印度尼西亚、斯里兰卡、印度等国时，也花了很

多笔墨讲述这些地方出产的各种各样的宝石、珍珠与

香料。

忽必烈时代发行的纸币。马可·波罗对它的介绍，让当时的欧

洲人觉得非常不可思议。

Paper currency in circulation during Kublai Khan’s time. The Europeans were amazed by it in Marco Polo’s introduction of the currency.

Marco Polo in China

144

manufactured using the bark of the mulberry tree. This paper currency could be used within China itself, for the purchase of any merchandise, and it was also widely circulated in foreign trade. He also mentioned about the abundantly available coal, and the fuel it could generate, which could burn longer than wood. In fact, as early as the Han Dynasty, the Chinese people had already started using coal as fuel.

First published in the early 14th Century, The Travels of Marco Polo is a record of the sights and sounds of the Orient that were unheard of to many Europeans. Many

元世祖忽必烈监督用金银交换纸币的情形。（15世纪版《马可·波罗游记》插画）

Kublai Khan supervising the exchange of gold and silver for paper currency. (Taken from the 15th century edition of The Travels of Marco Polo.)


145

马可·波罗关于中国的记述，不仅限于经济发达

的都市，还包括一些人烟稀少、经济相对落后的地

区。马可·波罗在出访云南时，曾到过西藏东部，他

在游记中用了两章的篇幅介绍西藏。他描述西藏地域

辽阔，很多地方河流交织，湖泊散布。当地人从事农

业和畜牧业生产，衣着十分简陋，但生活自由自在。

那里有一种野牛性情凶猛，身躯极大；还有一种野

兽，每月会排出一种特殊的物体，洒在地上，到处可

以闻得到它的香味。

《马可·波罗游记》中有两章专门讲元代通行的

纸钞，以及当时中国人使用已久的煤。马可·波罗

说，忽必烈在大都设造币局，在那里令人利用桑树皮

制造纸张，然后用它印制纸币。这种纸币不但通行国

内，可以用来购买任何物品，而且在和外国的贸易中

也有流通。他还说，自己在中国北方亲眼见到一种采

自山中的黑石，能像木材那样燃烧，而且比木材火力

更旺，持续的时间也更长。这说的是中国境内蕴藏丰

富的煤炭。其实，早在汉代，中国人就已经开始用煤

作为燃料了。

《马可·波罗游记》于14世纪初问世，它所记述

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146

people in Europe were attracted to the novelty of the contents, and were all eager to read about them. Very soon, the book became a best seller. Many readers were doubtful that the Orient was really that prosperous in terms of its economy and cultures. Marco Polo also attracted a group of adversaries, who accused him of being a heretic. They claimed that the world beyond the world of Christianity was the devil’s hell, and a world of darkness. They were unable to accept what was written in the book, that Europe was incomparable to the Orient. They claimed the book to be a blasphemy against the Chris t ian god. Many people s tar ted pointing to Marco Polo as a liar and his book contained nonsense. They rallied for Marco Polo to be arrested. And amidst the fervent opposition to the publication of the book, Marco Polo was finally brought to court by the Catholic Church.

In facing all the doubts and accusations, Marco Polo remained firm in his stand. Before he died, some of his relatives and friends were worried that he would not be allowed in heaven for his lies. They tried to persuade him to confess to God, and disclaim all that he had written in The Travels of Marco Polo, so as his soul could be saved. Marco Polo rejected them, and claimed once again that there was not a single lie in his book, and he had barely told half of what he had experience.


147

的东方见闻，很多都是欧洲人前所未闻的。欧洲人都

被它的新奇内容吸引了，人们争相阅读，很快这本游

记便成为最流行的读物之一。但也有人对游记的真实

性产生了怀疑，不相信东方真的有这样繁华的都市、

发达的经济和昌明的文化。世界上怎么会有可以燃烧

的石块呢？一张印刷过的纸就能买到贵重的商品吗？

不少人都把《马可·波罗游记》当作是一部天方夜谭

式的作品。更有一些充满恶意的敌视者，将矛头指向

了马可·波罗。

“基督的世界之外，是魔鬼的地狱，那里只能是

马可·波罗在印度见闻：收胡椒的黑人（15世纪《奇迹之书》插画）

Black pepper pickers Marco Polo saw in India. (Taken from the 15th century edition of The Travels of Marco Polo.)

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148

The reason why so many Europeans were opposed to The Travels of Marco Polo was because the cultural exchanges between the East and West were extremely slow, which led them to believe that the East was primitive and uncivilized. Other than this, The Travels of Marco Polo did contain contents that were based on hearsay, and some parts were exaggerated. Due to such narratives, many scholars in later years do believe that Marco Polo had actually never been to the East, and all that he wrote in the book was what he heard from others. Some researchers even claimed that Marco Polo is a fictitious character, who did not exist.

On the contrary, there are also many scholars of the

马可·波罗在印度见闻：在河中寻找宝石的人（15世纪《奇迹之书》插画）

Gemstone collectors at work in the river, sighted by Marco Polo in India. (Taken from the 15th century edition of The Travels of Marco Polo.)


149

一片黑暗。可是书中却说，我们这儿反而不如东方的

世界。这是亵渎天主！亵渎圣教！”“欧洲是世界文

明的中心和发祥地。中国，它怎么可能比我们更进

步？马可·波罗在撒谎，胡说八道！”“作者是异教

徒！我们要审判他！”在这些偏执而激烈的反对声

中，宗教界甚至真的把马可·波罗送上了法庭。

面对种种的猜疑和指责，马可·波罗始终坚持自

己的立场。在他临终时，一些亲友担心他因为生前撒

下了弥天大谎，死后进不了天堂，纷纷劝说他向上帝

忏悔，让他否认自己的游记，以解救灵魂。马可·波

罗坚决地拒绝了。他郑重声明：“这部书真实确切，

没有任何的虚假。不仅没有言过其实，而且所见的异

事，尚未说到一半。”

14世纪的欧洲人之所以会对《马可·波罗游记》

有那么多的猜疑，主要是因为当时东西交通阻塞，欧

洲对东方仍处于蒙昧状态。同时，由于《马可·波罗

游记》中确实掺杂着一些道听途说的内容，有的地

方也存在夸张成分，后世一些研究者据此认为，马

可·波罗并未到过东方，书中所描述的都是他人的传

闻。有研究者甚至提出大胆的设想，认为马可·波罗

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Orient, who had authenticated the genuineness of the book’s contents. They did acknowledge the flaws and weaknesses of The Travels of Marco Polo, but mainly they were due to the inability to authenticate the rumors and fading memory of Marco Polo. Otherwise, the contents were mostly true accounts. And there was indeed a person called Marco Polo, who had really been to China. The values of both Marco Polo and The Travels of Marco Polo thus received their well-deserved recognition.

Being the first published work about the Orient, and written from the perspective of a Westerner, The Travels of Marco Polo opened the horizons of the medieval Europeans, who began to look towards the East. Many intellectuals of various European studies incorporated into their own writings what they had learnt from the book. Cartographers had especially obtained significant gains from the book. For instance, the map of 1375 Catalonia of Spain was revered as the most valuable map of the medieval times. The map was constructed based on The Travels of Marco Polo.

The Trave ls o f Marco Polo had also contr ibuted significantly to the development of seafaring and marine industry. It inspired people to travel and an interest in the Orient. Many adventure seekers, seafarers and explorers were readers of the book, and derived


151

是后人虚构的人物，历史上根本没有这个人的存在。

更多东西方学者通过谨慎而严肃的研究，肯定

了《马可·波罗游记》的真实性。他们指出，《马

可·波罗游记》确实存在缺陷和失误，有的是传闻失

实，有的是记忆不准，但绝大部分内容是真实的。

马可·波罗不但确有其人，他也的确到过中国。马

可·波罗和他的游记的真正价值，得到了广泛的承

认。

作为西方人感知东方的第一部著作，《马可·波

罗游记》使中古时代的欧洲人打开了视野，引起了他

14世纪欧洲人参考《马可·波罗游记》绘制的欧亚大陆图

A 14th-century European map of Europe and Asia illustrated according to The Travels of Marco Polo.

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great encouragement and inspiration from it. It was a book read by Portugal’s Dom Henrique, a leading seafarer and adventurer of the 15 th Century, who had advocated Western E u r o p e a n s t o e x p l o r e t h e w o r l d v i a t h e s e a , was hailed as the teacher o f g re a t e x p l o re r s s u c h a s B a r t h o l m e u D i a s , Chr is topher Columbus , V a s c o d a G a m a , a n d Fernando de Magallanes.

The founder of America, Chr i s topher Co lumb us , was known to own a 1485 Latin edition of The Travels of Marco Polo. He read it regularly, and made notes in the empty space at the sides. In all, he made close to 264 notes and annotations. From these notes, it could be seen that Columbus was very concerned with the geographical locations of the places in the East and its natural resources. Columbus greatly admired the civilized and wealthy nations such as China, India, and

葡萄牙航海家达·伽马，从欧洲绕好望角到印度航海路线的

开拓者。

Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama, the founder of the sea route between Europe and India, via the Cape of Good Hope.


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们对于东方的热切向往。当时欧洲学术界的很多有识

之士，纷纷将马可·波罗提供的东方知识吸收、运用

到他们的著作中。如1375年西班牙的喀塔兰大地图，

被誉为中世纪最有科学价值的地图，图中的东亚、中

亚等部分便是依据《马可·波罗游记》绘制的。后来

欧洲人绘制的很多地图，也都参考了《马可·波罗游

记》。

《马可·波罗游记》对15世纪欧洲航海事业的发

展有着重要的促进作用，激发了人们对于东方的向

往和冒险远航的热情。当时欧洲很多著名航海家、

探险家都曾读过这本游记，并从中得到巨大的鼓舞

和启示。葡萄牙亲王、航海家亨利（Dom Henrique）

是15世纪西欧航海探险的组织者和发动者，被历

史学家称为是迪亚士（Bartholmeu Dias）、哥伦布

（Christopher Columbus）、达·伽马（Vasco da

Gama）、麦哲伦（Fernando de Magallanes）等航海

家的老师和校长。而他经常翻阅的书中，就有《马

可·波罗游记》的手抄本。

新大陆的发现者哥伦布有一本1485年印行的拉丁

文版《马可·波罗游记》。他不但时时阅读，还在书

Marco Polo in China

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Japan that were recorded in the book. And he was very inspired by what he read to travel and explore the East by sea. Beginning in 1492, under the commission of the Spanish king, Columbus led a fleet of naval vessels and set off to sea. When he arrived in Central America, and the northeast of America, he thought he had reached the eastern coast of Asia. But what he discovered, was America. The Travels of Marco Polo that used to belong to Columbus is still preserved in Sevilla, Spain, today.

意大利航海家哥伦布登陆美洲大陆，遭遇印第安人。

Italian navigator Columbus landing on America, encounters the Indians.


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的边栏空白处，写下了264处密密麻麻的注释、批语。

从这些边注中可以看出，哥伦布非常关心东方各地的

地理位置和物产。马可·波罗在游记中展示的文明富

裕的中国、印度，以及盛产黄金的日本，都令哥伦布

非常钦慕，并立志东游。从1492年起，在西班牙国王

资助下，他率领水手接连几次远航。哥伦布到达了中

浙江杭州西湖畔的马可·波罗雕像。

A sculpture of Marco Polo along West Lake of Hangzhou.

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Vasco da Gama was also an avid reader of The Travels of Marco Polo. When he was tasked with leading a naval fleet to discover a new direct route to India, one of the first things he did to prepare for his voyage was to peruse The Travels of Marco Polo.

Fernando de Magallanes, the first man who circle the globe, was also a reader of The Travels of Marco Polo, and was greatly mesmerized by the rich and mystical Orient.

In facilitating the exchanges between the East and the West, Marco Polo was an outstanding emissary. He was

马可·波罗的传奇，吸引了众多现代人重新探访他当年走过的路。图为一支由中美两国人员

组成的马可·波罗考察队。

The legendary story of Marco Polo attracted many present-day travelers to venture on the route that was once taken by him. This picture show a China-US expedition team that study the Marco Polo’s route.


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美和南美的东北角，他以为自己到了亚洲东部沿海，

结果却是在无意中发现了美洲大陆。哥伦布读过的那

本《马可·波罗游记》，至今还保存在西班牙塞维利

亚市的哥伦布图书馆。

达·伽马同样是《马可·波罗游记》的忠实读

者。在接受了率船队去开辟直达印度的新航线任务

后，他做的重要的准备工作之一，便是再次仔细地通

北京元大都城垣遗址公园中的马可·波罗雕像

A sculpture of Marco Polo in Beijing.

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the first European in history who introduced China to Europe. All the technological advances of China, in silk production, the making of paper and printing, the coal mining, and architecture, were brought to the world through his book. Many people also read about how the Chinese cities were planned, developed and managed. People in the East had also gained much knowledge of the West through Marco Polo.

It has been 700 years since Marco Polo traveled to China. His spirit of adventure and his insatiable thirst for knowledge have inspired generations. Many people have followed Marco Polo’s footsteps in bridging the East and the West. Today, he is still a well-respected great explorer loved by many.


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读了《马可·波罗游记》。

人类历史上第一位完成环球航行的麦哲伦也看过

《马可·波罗游记》，并醉心于马可·波罗描绘的富

饶而神奇的东方。

在东西方文化交流史上，马可·波罗无疑是一位

杰出的使者。他在历史上第一次将中国等东方国家介

绍给欧洲。东方的育蚕治丝、造纸、印刷、采煤、建

筑等科学技术，以及在城市规划、市政管理等方面的

经验，都通过他的游记，向世界广为传播。与此同

时，当时的东方人也通过他，更多地了解了西方世

界。

马可·波罗的东方之旅已经过去了700多年。他探

索世界、求取新知的精神，激励着一代代人的心灵。

有越来越多的人沿着他的足迹，行走在东西交流的路

上。直至今天，人们仍然喜爱、尊重这位伟大的旅行

家和他伟大的游记。

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The Mystery of Marco Polo

After the publication of The Travels of Marco Polo, for more than 700 years, there have been questions as to whether Marco Polo had really been to China. This was the focus of controversy study by Chinese and foreign scholars. Many of the suspense in the book have not been successfully authenticated by historians. For example, the travel route were often intermittent, and illogical. Was it due to Marco Polo’s problem in recalling events, or was it because he had not traveled on this road at all, and had written about it based on hearsay? Marco Polo had repeated reinforced that his expeditions to various parts of Asia were instructed by Kublai Khan. However, having served as Governor of Yangzhou for three years, why had the history books and literature in China, contained not a single detail about him? Also, Marco Polo had traveled widely in China for 17 years, so why was there no mention of some of China's most unique things, such as the Great Wall, tea, and women bound feet?

This 13th century legendary figure left behind a load of mysteries to future generations to unraveled. However, The Travels of Marco Polo had made tremendous contribution in East and West cultural exchange, which is a fact that cannot be denied or forgotten.


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马可·波罗之谜

《马可·波罗游记》问世700多年来，关于马可·波罗

是否真正到过中国，一直是中外有关学者关注和争论的焦

点。书中的许多悬疑，至今史学家仍无法破解。例如游记

中的旅行线路时断时续，甚至常常不合逻辑。是马可·波

罗的记忆出了问题，还是因为他根本没有走过这条路，只

是道听途说？马可·波罗说自己多次奉忽必烈大汗之命出

使各地，且担任扬州总督三年，可为什么在中国的史籍文

献中，竟找不到一点关于他的记录？还有，马可·波罗在

中国游历17年之久，为什么对一些中国最具特色的事物，

如长城、茶叶，还有裹小脚的妇女都只字不提？……

这位13世纪的传奇人物留给了后人太多的谜团。但无

论如何，《马可·波罗游记》在开拓东西文化交流方面所

作出的巨大贡献，是谁也无法否认和遗忘的。

Marco polo IN China 马可·波罗的中国传奇

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