Marco Polo was a merchant from the city of Venice. In the 1270s he and his father set out to China to meet Kublai Khan, the ruler of the Mongol Empire. When they finally made it, Kublai Khan was impressed with Marco Polo and sent Marco Polo on business all over China. Marco Polo learned more about Asia than any other European because he asked many questions. When he returned, he published a book on his travels, and his stories helped increase interest in China and made more people want to buy China's goods. Europeans were fascinated with Asia and its goods after reading the book.
