馬可·波羅 1254年出生於威尼斯。他是中世紀訪問亞洲的第壹個西方人。他的父親——尼可羅·波羅和他的叔叔是很富有的商人，經常到東方的各地區旅行。他們訪問了中國，而且和忽必烈可汗，大蒙古皇帝成為了朋友。而且只是在他們從中國回到意大利之後，15歲的馬可才第壹次見到他的父親。
Marco decided to join them for their next trip. It took them more than three years to travel the 9,000 miles to Shangdu, capital of the Mongol Empire. The great Khan gave them a fine welcome and they stayed in a huge marble place. Soon the young Marco became a great favorite of the Emperor and was one of his most trusted friends. Marco quickly learned the language and customs of the Chinese because he traveled around and talked to many people.
馬可決定下壹次和他們壹起去旅行。這花了他們三年的時間旅行9，000裏到達了上都——蒙古帝國的首都。大汗熱烈地歡迎了他們，並且讓他們居住在壹個巨大的大理石房子中。很快年輕的馬可成了這位帝王所喜歡的人，而且成為了他最為信任的朋友之壹。馬可很快就學會了中國的語言和風俗，因為他到各地遊走，和很多人交談。
After nearly 17 years in the East, Marco and his father prepared to return home. Not long after Marco came home, the Genoese caught him during a battle at sea. While he was a prisoner he met a writer called Rustichello who wrote down the long story that Marco told him about his travels.
在東方待了將近17年之後，馬可和他的父親準備返回家鄉。馬可回家後不久，熱那亞人在壹次海邊戰役中抓到了他。他牢獄期間，遇到了壹名名叫魯斯梯切諾的作家，他寫下了馬可口述給他的有關他的旅行的長篇故事。
He did not make any more journeys after the publication of his books, but he had a place in history-he was the first European ever to travel to the East and to return with a story to tell.
在書本出版之後，馬可沒有再進行任何旅行，但是他在歷留下了壹席之地——他是第壹個到東方旅行的歐洲人，而且回來後口述了很多故事。