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History and Geography Department: Visit of the “Book of Wonders: The Travels of Marco Polo” Exhibition

May 29, 2025

On the morning of May 29th, in the 11th grade Chinese History class, Ms. Zhou led the students out of the classroom to the second to fourth floors of the Zhen Tao Building to visit the “Book of Wonders: The Travels of Marco Polo” exhibition, which was co-sponsored by the Shanghai Library and Shanghai High School, and which coincided with the recent study of the Mongol Western Expeditions and the Sino-foreign communications and exchanges of the Yuan Dynasty in the History class.


With the basic background knowledge, the students gained a deeper understanding of the historical lineage of the dissemination and translation of Marco Polo's Travels, as well as the authenticity of Marco Polo's text, and many rare documents left behind by Chinese and Italian cultural emissaries over the past seven centuries. Fortunately, on the third floor of the exhibition area, the students also met Lang Siyun, a volunteer guide from the Local School, who enthusiastically and meticulously introduced to the students and teacher of the International Division several instances in which the authenticity of the contents of the Travels of Marco Polo had been verified, as well as the general situation of the earliest intriduction of the book by the domestic media.




After the visit, the students were very rewarded and became more interested in the history of Sino-Western exchanges. They also raised many questions during the visit: for example, the original title of Marco Polo's Travels was The Description of the World, but were Marco Polo's travels to the east related to the age of exploration? The manuscript of Marco Polo's Travels is so exquisite and magnificent, do the illustrations reflect the real China? Why was the name “ma ke bo luo” not finalized until Feng Chengjun's translation? During the visit, students seemed to sharpen their observation and perception of time and space, and began to make connections between various historical events.


The school offers students a range of opportunities to learn about history, and we encourage them to utilize the school library and other resources to explore and deepen their understanding.


(Written by: Shen Zhou    Pictures by: Shen Zhou   Edited by Cody Turner  Reviewed by Qian Zuo)