The Travels Of Marco Polo Summary

Moral influence stimulates one's thoughts and direction within their interest. This changes within generations, for the reason that society is continuously evolving. The chronicles of two best sellers - The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo and The Strange Stones: Dispatches from the East to West by Peter Hessler - gives a great example on how foreigners enter the Eastern world with mentality/behaviourism. From a merchant's perspective, to a journalist who immerses himself into the society, both authors bring two distinct perspectives to this topic. The impact of social standards, that have evolved over seven centuries, essentially affected the approach and research shown in both authors in perspective of women, religion, the commercial industry and under authority. Through their

encounters, they fixate their approach to familiar subject to their own.
In the thirteenth century, the western society imposed the culture where the use of women as concubines perpetuated the status of women as inferior to men. Marco Polo was raised in a civilization where men were taught that women had no voice nor an opinion, therefore he solely noticed women’s behaviour in subject to sex and physical appearance due to the influence of his surroundings. Throughout his novel, women are often brought up within the practice of polygamy. Foreign to this idea, he was bewildered by the concept that “if a married man goes to distance from home...

his wife has a right, if she is inclined, to take another husband” (60, Polo). Marco observed how Mongolian men “kept from fifty to even hundreds of wives” and felt envious to this culture. Even as a Christian - who would sin the act of Polygamy - Marco endorses the act since he feels the presence of virtue, between the relationship, much stronger than a marriage with a Christian woman. In addition, Marco discovers the courtesans in Quinsai are audacious compared to the Western women. Quinsai advocate their sexual culture primarily focused on female pleasure - for women to reach orgasm. This way, the men can better preserve their semen without ejaculating after sexual intercourse . Overall, Marco had concentrated on the aspect of sex due to the influence from back home. Whereas, in the modern day, feminism was arising in the western culture. Hessler’s novel presents a women’s voice, opposed to Marco. In “Boomtown Girl”, Hessler introduces one of his students, whom he taught English at a teacher’s college in Fuling. Her name was Emily, a Chinese women who opposed all traditional gender roles.

She illustrates a strong opinionated character, with morality different from other women. Essentially, she was the new strain of women in the East. Instead of becoming a teacher, Emily chose to work for factories. She felt as if she needed a challenge in her life, whereas most women in their society would have chosen “comfortable” rather than struggle through low-cost labour. Observant to his surroundings, Hessler recognizes that these women - who are often viewed as “traditional” in the Western world - are gradually escaping the closed mindset of fitting into the social standards. The author raises the awareness where these women try to flourish in a restricted environment while living in a closed society. Emily is a great example on how these women can essentially in power their state as a whole - and that he sees positive change that is evolving in China.
In retrospect, Peter Hessler’s novel excluded the subject on religion, considering that it did not define an individual in the modern society. It has evolved as a choice - as if they adopted the Mongolian’s beliefs in religion - rather than an obligation. In fact, rather than religion, but what captured the foreign journalist was the spiritual beliefs beneath the “Wild Flavour.” Hessler often conducts his experience through interactions between individuals. He portrays eccentric culture in the region of Luogang. As a waiguoren - a stranger in a strange land - visits Guangdong Province to try their specialty; rats. In retrospect, this specialty acquire spiritual beliefs in their culture. Each animal will improve one's spirit. For instance, they eat cat to have a lively spirit; you eat snake to become stronger; you eat deer penis to improve virility. So, they eat rat to prevent from going bald. In contrast to spirituality, in the thirteenth century, religion continued to play crucial role in the european civilization, where it identifies an individual. When Marco Polo traveled to the East,this no longer was reality. Under the reign of the Khan, religion meant nothing to their culture. Although, the king honoured and respected all four - Jewish, Christianity, Buddhism and Muslims - equally. In perspective of the merchant, he assumes that “it is evident that [Kublai Khan] regarded the faith of the Christians as the truest and the best.” He observed many of the “idolaters” were Buddhists. Due to his bias opinions towards his own - Christianity - Marco found more similarities between the two religion, to cope the lack of Christianity practiced in the East. “They make the festivals of their idols at different times as we do of our saints, and they have something like the calendar where the feasts of their idols are arranged on fixed days.”
The East in the 13th century was very rich in their commercial industry. Marco Polo’s journey was clearly influenced by the merchant in himself, hoping to find profit in a foreign world. Within his novel, it is deeply fixates on merchandise as he travel all along the East. Before he notices the landscape, or monument, his priority was based off local products. His novel was a guide for merchants that essentially influenced many merchant to visit the East. There were many foreign merchandise that was prominent in the eyes of Marco; such as coal - cheap and long lasting - paper money - lighter to carry ????- and silk. Kublai Khan brought in craftsman( same as artisans i think), artisans, traders, and merchant to his court to essentially improve the commercial activity. The Middle East brought in spices, camels and carpet. The Mongols had a standard currency of paper money, which Marco wondered how paper can have real value. Although, he saw it as a practical economic system, where it eventually was adopted in Europe in the 17th century. However, when a writer enters the foreign world, he oversees the material. Instead, observes what the economy is based off of. A foreigner who enters a world where the government sacrifices their people to essentially gain economy, even with the lack of safety supported. (factory work) Not only do the Communist party violates workers, but after cutting down their historical artifacts to increase economy. Hutong is a Mongolian word, which means alley in Chinese. This community has a lot of vendors since there's no space for a supermarket. These sort of thin, tiny spaced alleyway used to be common all around downtown Beijing, except due the communist government. Hassler met Wang - a Chinese men - who lived in the Hutong since 1951, two years after the communist revolution. (before the invasion, Beijing was untouched by modernity or war) This area had once had thousand temples and monasteries - nearly all disbanded and converted to other uses by the Communist (pg. 16). In 1969 - during the cultural revolution - Adding Gate was torn down to make room for subway station. When Mao died in 1976, fifth of old Beijing had been destroyed, including Hutong cut down. Since it became more and more rare due to cut downs, now the government uses it as a market to the economy for tourists. This demonstrated the modern government reshaping the city, unlike 700 years ago when everything was under the rule of the Khan.
Social morality can be guided/influenced by the authority. As an American ruled by the conservatives, were more or less capable to speak their thoughts. Although, under the rule of Communists in China, they fear making them a closed society. It influenced the way people reacted. (take interview) Through the process of asking for permission to write his notes down, Hessler - being an observant individual - notices that modern China is corrupt by the government. Many paranoia beneath the government's agreement, which essentially scares the people. Other from that, the locals take pride and persistent with the customer's satisfactory. They are not afraid to ask questions. Through Marco’s acknowledgement of the authority of the Khan. Marco was struck at every turn go Kublai’s enlightened government:the reserve granaries for periods of scarcity; the relief for the poor and the ill; the elaborate patrol against disorder and fire; the use of paper currency; the extraordinary post system; the beautification of roads by trees; the abolition of gambling; the completion of Grand Canal from Peiping to Hangchow. Marco responded often emphatically to their social and economic achievements. Aside from their achievements, the people under the rule of the Khan, has freedom within their religion and action as long as they pay their tariffs.
The approach of a merchant and a journalist persuades their novel in complete different retrospect. Hessler who wrote the Strange Stones, takes time to get to know these individual from months and even years to essentially he feels you need all kind of viewpoints, from research to voice. The approach of Marco Polo is evidently vague since it's written in a merchant perspective, where merchandises are what attracts his ultimate attention. Although, travelling through the East, he recognizes foreign social differences between the West, his homeland. Their direct goal in their research were very clear that they were influenced by their social morality and values that was brought from the West. Written 700 years apart, it brought two new identity of the East meets West.