They were also present along the Silk Road, a great artery of trade, commerce, and information.Įurope’s great seafaring republic, Venice, maintained a vast network of trading contacts throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. (See also: Do walls work? The Great Wall of China.)Īt the time of Genghis’s death in 1227, Mongol horsemen patrolled the shores of both the Caspian and China seas they were in Siberia, Tibet, and the central Chinese plains. The Mongols even raided lands in southern Russia. From then on, state after state across China and Central Asia was absorbed into the expanding Mongol empire. They first turned east, to the kingdoms of north and western China, eventually reaching Beijing, which fell to them in 1215. With the accession of this fearsome leader, the federation of tribes began expanding their strongholds beyond the Mongolian steppe. ![]() Temüjin enjoyed unprecedented control over what is now Mongolia. In 1206 a single leader, Temüjin, was elected Genghis Khan (meaning “Universal Ruler”) after he won a series of victories over his rivals. The largest contiguous land empire the world had ever known emerged from a group of warring tribes. The easternmost part of the empire stretched to Asian shores of the Pacific. Its northwest component, the Khanate of the Golden Horde, stretched as far west as the Danube River in central Europe. By the time of the Polos’ great journey 17 years later, the Mongol empire had reached its maximum. By this time, Mongol hordes had reached Hungary. Marco Polo was born in 1254, at a time when Europe was looking not westward to the Atlantic, but eastward with fascination and trepidation. Polo’s book reawakened Europe to the possibilities of international trade and expansion, and became a text that heavily influenced the age of discovery that dawned in Europe two centuries later. His book became a best seller, spreading throughout the Italian Peninsula in a matter of months-a remarkable feat in an age before Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press around 1439. ![]() (See also: Silk for horses: History of the Silk Road.) He wrote of fabulous things, but also of everyday matters relating to commerce. ![]() Although fantastic legends and rumors from such far-off places had filtered through to Europe on the numerous east-west trading routes of the Silk Road, Polo’s eye brought them alive in a new way. The names of the places they traveled-Hormuz, Balkh, and Kashgar-became for Europeans indelible parts of a new mental map of the world. It tells the story, beginning in 1271, of an odyssey undertaken by a trio of Venetians, who traveled through extraordinary lands and into places where few Christians had ever been, all the way to the court of the Mongolian emperor, Kublai Khan. Gorgeously rendered, the Bodleian copy contains what many scholars consider to be an authoritative text. The Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, holds one of the earliest versions, dating from about 1400. Take a bus to Kang Zhan Diao Su Yuan Station and walk from there or take a taxi to the bridge.There is a small admission fee for the bridge and the opening hours are seasonal, with longer hours in summer.Please be respectful of copyright. Marco Polo Bridge is situated in the Fengtai District and is nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of Tiananmen Square in central Beijing. Freely translated it reads: “The Moon over the Lugou at Dawn.” Carved stone elephants keeping guard at the both ends of the bridge.After leaving the bridge, check out the nearby Wanping City Wall and free Sculpture Garden while you are in the area. One records the history of renovation of the bridge and the other features an inscription from Emperor Qianlong. Legend has it that the fierce creatures come alive at night.Large stone monuments adorn each end of the bridge. Each lion is different and some can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty of 1115-1234. Inspect the hundreds of elaborate stone lion carvings on the bridge. ![]() This is the spot where Japanese and Chinese troops first exchanged fire in 1937, starting the second Sino-Japanese war. The bridge is 874 feet (266 meters) in length and has 11 arches, 10 piers and 281 pillars. Present-day visitors come here to admire the beauty of the bridge and learn about its architectural and historical relevance. The original 1192 structure was washed away, but a reconstruction in 1698 saw its revival. It’s easy to see why this structure caught the attention of Marco Polo, who praised it in his 13th-century travelogues. It was first constructed in the late 12th century, even though the present bridge is only about three centuries old. This huge granite bridge over the Yongding River is also known as the Lugou Bridge. This impressive bridge with hundreds of lion sculptures has gained world fame as the site of a clash between Chinese and Japanese troops.Ī walk over Marco Polo Bridge takes you back in time, in the footsteps of its namesake, the famous Venetian explorer.
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