 Listening Library presents Who Was Marco Polo by Joan Hollab. Read for you by Kevin Parasau. Who Was Marco Polo? Marco Polo lived in Venice, Italy more than 750 years ago. Back then, in the 1200s, most people spent their whole lives right where they were born. But not Marco. He made an 11,000 mile trip to China and back, and he became the most famous traveler in Europe. Not just because he made such a long and dangerous trip, although hardly anyone else in Europe had done this at the time, but because he wrote a book about his adventure. Like his father and uncle, Marco was a merchant. The Polos wanted to go to Asia to bring back silk, spices, and other expensive goods to sell in Europe. Marco was a teenager when he went off to China. He didn't return to Italy for 24 years. China's ruler was named Kubla Khan. He liked Marco and sent him to nearby countries to spy. Marco took notes about the places he saw and the customs of the people he met. He used these notes to write a book about his travels. Reading his book was the way many Europeans learned about Asia. 200 years later, explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gamma read Marco's book. It made them want to reach Asia too, but they hoped to find an easier route. Was everything in Marco's book true? Historians think he exaggerated here and there. Some even think he never went to China at all. Still, his book made him famous around the world. What is the true story of Marco Polo? 1. A Family of Merch