接着聊马可波罗真来过中国吗？

接着聊马可波罗真的来过中国吗？他的那本游记在西方广为传播，影响很大但争议也很大。特别是在西方，认为他是编造的人大有所在。就连《马可波罗》游记这本书，它的意大利语书名都叫《百万》。因为在书中形容中国的事物经常使用“百万”这个词。因为当时的欧洲是小国寡民，又是长期的封建制，各种贵族领地、城邦、王国林立，规模都不大。中国大一统王朝，这种动辄上百万人口，上百万的税收，对这些欧洲人来说确实是闻所未闻。这本书是马可波罗从波斯商人那里道听途说，然后编造出来的。而且他的书中缺少对一些中国标志性事物的描述，比如万里长城，妇女裹小脚等等，不过公允的说这些怀疑其实都非常不充分，现存的万里长城实际上是明代的时候修建的，是在马可波罗来中国之后很多年。而在之前的朝代中修建过长城的也主要是秦汉。唐朝在相当长一段时间对边疆的态度都是相当包容，胡人在唐朝的军队中也可以做到很高的官位，而且到玄宗朝安史之乱之前，唐朝还一度大规模的向外扩张，所以唐朝从来没有修建过长城。而他之后的宋朝，因为幽云十六州被契丹人的辽国占据，没有修建长城的地理条件，在澶渊之盟后也与契丹维持了近百年的和平，所以宋朝也没有修建长城，而元朝是由塞外的蒙古人建立的，他的统治区域横跨长城内外，就更没有必要修筑长城了。所以马可波罗没有见过长城实在是再正常不过了。这本书是马可波罗从波斯商人那里道听途说，然后编造出来的。而且他的书中缺少对一些中国标志性事物的描述，比如万里长城，妇女裹小脚等等。
不过公允的说这些怀疑其实都非常不充分，现存的万里长城实际上是明代的时候修建的，是在马可波罗来中国之后很多年。而在之前的朝代中修建过长城的也主要是秦汉。唐朝在相当长一段时间对边疆的态度都是相当包容，胡人在唐朝的军队中也可以做到很高的官位，而且到玄宗朝安史之乱之前，唐朝还一度大规模的向外扩张，所以唐朝从来没有修建过长城。而他之后的宋朝，因为幽云十六州被契丹人的辽国占据，没有修建长城的地理条件，在澶渊之盟后也与契丹维持了近百年的和平，所以宋朝也没有修建长城，而元朝是由塞外的蒙古人建立的，他的统治区域横跨长城内外，就更没有必要修筑长城了。所以马可波罗没有见过长城实在是再正常不过了。
而妇女缠足这件事情，确实是从南宋开始的，时间和《马可波罗游记》的时间也对得上，但是。在那个时代，这个风气才刚刚开始。真正中国妇女开始普遍缠足，还是出现在清朝。所以马可波罗没有记载这些也是情有可原。所以也就称不上是疑点或者漏洞。

而且，也是有正面印证的证据的。那就是《马可波罗游记》中称他们返回欧洲的原因。是按照忽必烈的指派护送阔阔真公主，前往伊尔汗国和亲，完成任务后顺道返回欧洲。在美剧《马可波罗》中。 阔阔真公主是忽必烈争夺蒙古汗位对手阿里不哥的女儿，在父亲兵败之后自杀了。而她的婢女冒充了阔阔真公主向忽必烈投降，还和马可波罗发展出了恋情。但真实历史上阔阔真公主前往伊尔汗国和亲这件事是真实发生过的，在史料上也有记载。护送团队的大臣姓名在正史上也有记载。当然史书上代表团的主要首领名单并没有提到马可波罗，所以还是缺乏直接证据。
但是在《马可波罗游记》当中也提到了这三个大臣，书中他们姓名的发音和史书上记载的非常相似。甚至他们还都提到了一个细节，就是在前往伊尔汗国的途中，其中一位大臣在路上就去世了。这可以说是构成了非常完美的独立交叉验证。可以说这项证据足以证明《马可波罗游记》具有相当的真实性。
当然从马可波罗本人还上不了史书中的使团名单，可以看出，他的那本游记中也有很大的吹嘘成分，他本人并没有在忽必烈那里获得多大的器重。很可能，只是被安排了一些一般性的事情。这也很好理解，从某种意义上来说，蒙元并不是一个纯粹的中原王朝，而是一个世界性帝国。统治集团高层有蒙古人，有汉人，还有色目人。也就是眼睛是有颜色的人，所以马可波罗应该被归于色目人群体。而当时的欧洲还处在黑暗的中世纪，其文明程度是比不上同为色目人的阿拉伯人和波斯人的。所以他的见识、能力应该是远远不及同为色目人的阿拉伯人和波斯人的，在忽必烈那里自然也不大会受到多大的重视。

Did Marco Polo really come to China? His travel book was widely circulated in the West, influential and controversial. In the West, in particular, there are plenty of people who think he is making it up. Even the book "Marco Polo" travels, its Italian title is called "millions." Because the word "million" is often used to describe things in China in books. At that time, Europe was a small country with a small population and a long-term feudal system, with various aristocratic territories, city-states and kingdoms, all of which were not large in scale. China's great unified dynasty, this kind of millions of people, millions of taxes, to these Europeans is really unheard of. The book was invented by Marco Polo through hearsay from Persian merchants. And his book lacks descriptions of some of China's most iconic features, such as the Great Wall and women with their feet bound, but it's fair to say that these doubts are grossly understated, as the existing Great Wall was actually built during the Ming Dynasty, many years after Marco Polo came to China. In the previous dynasties, the Great Wall was built mainly in the Qin and Han dynasties. For a long period of time, the Tang Dynasty was quite tolerant towards the frontier. The Hu people were able to achieve high official positions in the Tang army. Moreover, before the Anshi Rebellion of the Xuanzong Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty had once expanded outwards on a large scale, so the Tang Dynasty never built a Great Wall. The Song Dynasty after him, because the sixteen Yuyun prefectures were occupied by the Liao State of the Khitan, there was no geographical condition for the construction of the Great Wall, and peace was maintained with the Khitan for nearly a hundred years after the Chanyuan Alliance, so the Song Dynasty did not build the Great Wall, while the Yuan Dynasty was established by the Mongols outside the Wall, and his ruling area was across the Great Wall and beyond, there was no need to build the Great Wall. So it's only natural that Marco Polo never saw the Great Wall. The book was invented by Marco Polo through hearsay from Persian merchants. And his book lacks descriptions of some of China's iconic landmarks, such as the Great Wall and women with their feet bound.
However, it is fair to say that these doubts are very unfounded, the existing Great Wall was actually built during the Ming Dynasty, many years after Marco Polo came to China. In the previous dynasties, the Great Wall was built mainly in the Qin and Han dynasties. For a long period of time, the Tang Dynasty was quite tolerant towards the frontier. The Hu people were able to achieve high official positions in the Tang army. Moreover, before the Anshi Rebellion of the Xuanzong Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty had once expanded outwards on a large scale, so the Tang Dynasty never built a Great Wall. The Song Dynasty after him, because the sixteen Yuyun prefectures were occupied by the Liao State of the Khitan, there was no geographical condition for the construction of the Great Wall, and peace was maintained with the Khitan for nearly a hundred years after the Chanyuan Alliance, so the Song Dynasty did not build the Great Wall, while the Yuan Dynasty was established by the Mongols outside the Wall, and his ruling area was across the Great Wall and beyond, there was no need to build the Great Wall. So it's only natural that Marco Polo never saw the Great Wall.
The matter of women's foot binding indeed began in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the time of Marco Polo's travels is also consistent, but. At that time, this trend was just beginning. It was in the Qing Dynasty that foot binding became common among Chinese women. So it's understandable that Marco Polo didn't write about it. So it's not really a mystery or a loophole.

Moreover, there is positive corroborating evidence. That's why Marco Polo's Travels says they returned to Europe. It was Kublai Khan's assignment to escort Princess Kokuachen to the Ilkhanate and her family, and then to return to Europe after completing the mission. In the American TV series Marco Polo. Princess Kuquachen, daughter of Kublai Khan's rival Ariq for the Mongol throne, committed suicide after her father's defeat. Her maidservant, posing as Princess Kokuachen, surrendered to Kublai Khan and developed a love affair with Marco Polo. However, in the real history, the incident of Princess Kuokuazen going to the Ilkhanate to make peace with her relatives really happened, and it is also recorded in historical materials. The name of the minister who escorted the team is also recorded in official history. Of course, the list of the main leaders of the delegation in the historical books does not mention Marco Polo, so direct evidence is lacking.
However, these three ministers are also mentioned in the Travels of Marco Polo, and the pronunciation of their names in the book is very similar to that recorded in historical books. They even mention the detail that on the way to the Ilkhanate, one of the ministers died on the way. This can be said to constitute a very perfect independent cross-validation. It can be said that this evidence is enough to prove that the Travels of Marco Polo has considerable authenticity.
Of course, from the fact that Marco Polo himself is not on the list of diplomatic missions in the history books, it can be seen that his travel book also has a lot of boasting elements, and he himself did not get much respect from Kublai Khan. Most likely, it was just something general scheduled. This is also very easy to understand, in a sense, the Mongolian Yuan is not a pure Central Plains dynasty, but a world empire. At the top of the ruling group are Mongols, Han Chinese, and semis. That is, the eyes are colored people, so Marco Polo should be included in the group of chromophobes. At that time, Europe was still in the dark Middle Ages, and its level of civilization was not as good as that of the Arabs and Persians, who were also blind people. Therefore, his knowledge and ability should be far less than that of the Arabs and Persians who are also blind people, and naturally, he will not receive much attention from Kublai Khan.