Marco Polo's Perspective: Before his Journey-
I am soon to depart on a long journey from my home in Venice to the Mongol court. My family has been before, so they know the way, and will bring me along this time. Though I do not look forward to traveling many miles with my family, I am absolutely terrified to arrive in Mongol-controlled China. From what I have heard, the Mongols were vicious and destructive people expanding under Chinggis Khan, and are now terrible rulers of China under Khubilai Kahn.
The Mongols once were living solely as nomads. When hunting did not go smoothly in the far north, and there was no one to trade with, they organized parties to raid herders they came across on the steppe for food. If the people did not completely flee, young women may have been taken as wives, and young boys may have been taken as slaves.
Mongols have often been described to me only as bloodthirsty, savage people who only wish to destroy. I have heard tales of the trickery and ruses the men would have up their sleeves, using any method possible to ensure the defeat of their enemies. They might have pretended to run away with a small amount of men, and as the enemy followed, the rest of the large army would reveal themselves. They would have then won the battle. People as cunning as this, in my opinion, might not to be trusted. Yet, here I am, packing my possessions.
When Chinggis Khan and the Mongols were angered by the Khwarazmians, Chinggis Khan took his brutal revenge. The Khwarazmians had killed people aboard a Mongol caravan, though the Mongols had been peaceful with the region before. He stated that he was the punishment from God to the Khwarazmians, and acted as such. The Mongols proceeded to ruthlessly destroy and capture many of the Khwarazmian Empire's cities. Of course, killing even a few men is evil under any circumstances, and the Mongols were right to stand up for themselves. I know after being told this tale, though, that if my family is to offend the Mongols, they could, and would, destroy us effortlessly.
What terrifies me is the way Chinggis Khan took over Zhongdu, China's capital. The city did not resist. Xuanzong sent gifts to the Mongols, including a princess that eventually became a wife of Chinggis Khan, begging them to leave the city alone. When Chinggis Khan agreed with their terms, the Jin court fled. Angry, Chinggis Khan thought this meant that they would return with another army, and so he starved the city out. He then mercilessly took what he pleased.
I have been informed the Mongols and Kublai Khan, Chinggis's grandson, damaged the region of China considerably when they took it over. Some would argue the Mongols completely destroyed it. That the Mongols killed many that did not need to be killed while taking over all of China. In North China, the population even dropped. The Chinese people living there now hate their Mongol rulers. For one, Mongols got rid of civil service examinations in China, which plenty of people strongly supported. Also, a chain of rank has been created, putting the Chinese who lived there first in the bottom slots, and the Mongols at the top. The Mongols do not want to give any noteworthy jobs in the government to the Chinese. The Mongols are giving government jobs to foreigners instead of to Chinese ruling class, and from what I have been told, Chinese hate them for it.
Will I hate Kublai Khan's Empire as well? Are the Mongols as dreadful as I have heard? I am soon to find out. My Father calls for me; I must go.
-Marco Polo
Marco Polo's Perspective: As He is Leaving the Mongol Empire-
I have stayed in China for seventeen years, and in Asia for longer than that. I must admit my fearful opinions as a teen have changed much since then. Now, as I leave, I can say I have been exposed to the true personality of Kublai Khan and the Mongols. I do not believe them to be completely evil people. In fact, the Mongols even connected the east and west in culture through trade, and are acceptant of other religions.
The Mongols did indeed conquer much land, perhaps in brutal ways. However, there have been remarkable upsides to the creation of one large empire. Due to the size of the empire and Pax Mongolica, or the Mongol Peace, merchants can travel safely completely through the entirety of the empire. Khans of the Mongol Empire have always supported trade and supported caravans, and so this will continue to occur. Through trade, information concerning many advanced subjects like science and art has been spread both east to west and west to east. Lots of the advanced ideas that spread to the west came from China, such as the mechanical print and gunpowder. Silk from China is traded as well.
The Mongols have been very tolerant about the religions of the Chinese. Instead of crushing the Chinese way of culture when it was taken over, Kublai Khan wanted to make himself part of Confucian China. He has kept the music and dance practices at court that are part of the Chinese beliefs. In order to execute some other Chinese ways of life, he has made temples for ancestor worship, in which the Chinese greatly believe. Kublai Khan even decided to let Jin Chin, his son, have a Chinese education, where he was taught about Confucianism and Buddhism by his tutors.
Also, to keep his new Chinese subjects familiar with the government, Kublai Khan has left original government institutions, structures, and decision-making bodies nearly the same. He only did not want to give any extremely important jobs in the government to Chinese citizens because de did not want the region to go down the same paths as before. He wants to give others a try, who might do slightly better.
He really can be a fair man. It might be biased of me to say so, for Kublai really took a liking to me! He said it was because he enjoyed my stories of different countries. I was often sent on vital missions. When I lived in the Mongol Empire, I could be found seeking knowledge for Kublai Khan in several far corners of the empire.
It will be odd being back in Venice, but I cannot say I have not missed it slightly. Part of me is glad to be returning, but part of me wishes I never left the Mongol Empire.
-Marco Polo
My 21st Century Perspective-
When Marco Polo first wrote his book, most who read it did not believe its contents about the riches, healthy trade, and religious acceptance in the Mongol Empire. The average European only had been told that the Mongols were cruel, harsh people. Marco Polo's stories of a softer side to the Mongols seemed a weak lie compared to this image. Now, however, historians and geographers have the tools they need to decide that they acknowledge the truth in Marco Polo's tales. They believe his book is very accurate. They have access to much more information. People alive during the Mongol Empire may not have had what they needed to form their own opinions, and only believed what most others told them.
During the Persian Wars, between Greece and Persia, the Persians were extremely motivated to destroy Athens. The Persians were angered because of rebellions against them in Greek colonies the Persians had conquered. The Persians then wanted to crush the city of Athens that had supported the revolts.
The difference between this point in history and now is that currently, historians have all the information and facts. The Persians only saw Athens as an enemy. Now, most people recognize the city-state Athens as an important Greek civilization that made great strides towards a true democracy. Currently, there are thousand of sources that could easily explain Athens' limited democracy over the internet. Persians and other civilizations at war with Athens may not have seen this big picture. They only knew Athens had crossed them.
Nowadays, people have all the information they could need at their fingertips. Knowledge is readily available to anyone more than ever before. This is why opinions of both the Mongols and Athens have changed over time. Perspectives on these two civilizations made today are changing, because more can be known about them.
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