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Are the travels of Marco Polo fact or fiction

169 bytes added, 15:58, 30 May 2019
Facts in his narratives
Moreover, Marco may have forgotten some facts, he was often recalling things that happened almost 20 years earlier. Marco Polo has become synonymous with many down the centuries as a great exaggerator.<ref>Haeger, John W. "Marco Polo in China? Problems with internal evidence." Bulletin of Sung and Yüan Studies 14 (1978): 22-30 </ref> In particular, he was accused of exaggeration and even outright lies when he recounted the sexual practices of single Tibetan women. However, anthropologists in the twentieth century confirmed Marco’s claims. There are some who dispute the fact that the Venetians could have become so close to the great Mongol leader Kublai Khan.<ref>Wood, p. 298</ref> However, the Yuan Dynasty often employed foreigners in China in the government because they did not trust the native Han Chinese and this increases the likelihood, that Marco was actually close to the Khan.
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====Facts in his narratives====
Some scholars pointed out that there are many proven historical facts in his narrative. He gave a very accurate account of the Mongol system of administration and their rule. Polo also accurately described Chinese social norms and practices at the time. He also recounted quite correctly the prosperity and advanced technology of the Chinese state and its many cities.<ref> Vogel, Hans Ulrich. Marco Polo was in China: new evidence from currencies, salt production, and revenues (Netherlands, Brill, 2012), p 67</ref>

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