The Travels of Marco Polo

Timeline

1. 1298–1300Genoa · LiguriaMarco Polo was captured in the war between Venice and Genoa and, working with Rustichello, recorded his 17 years of Eastern travels in a Franco-Italian dialect, covering Kublai Khan's court, paper money, postal relay stations, and the prosperity of Jiangnan.
2. c. 1300–1400Venice–Paris manuscript circle · VenetoThe travel account circulated in Italy and France in manuscripts of various dialects, with significant textual variations, yet collectively shaped Europe's imagination of Eastern worlds such as 'Cathay' and 'Manzi', becoming an important reference for merchants, clergy, and scholars.
3. c. 1400–1500Various places in Europe · EuropeManuscripts continued to spread in the 15th century; descriptions of Eastern wealth and sea routes in the book stimulated European interest in seeking new routes, providing important cultural groundwork for the Age of Discovery and influencing the Eastern imagination of explorers such as Columbus.