MARCO POLO -- circa 1275

It may be a stretch to assert that what happened in the late 1200’s had anything to do with affairs in China in the early years of the 20th century. In Marco Polo’s time Europe was a fragmented feudal society of perhaps 50 million with little culture aside from the Catholic church. China, on the other hand, was culturally and scientifically centuries ahead of Europe. China had a standing army of 1 million soldiers controlling a vast empire. Numerous armies associated with each European feudal kingdom pursued destructive wars with each other for land, resources and to settle religious differences. The average citizen of China was much better off than his European counterpart in most levels of society but the lot of the peasant and working classes in both societies was, of course, abysmal.

Marco Polo was able to ingratiate himself in the Chinese court, perhaps admitted because of personal charm and strange stories of Europe. The emperor assigned Marco Polo to “rule” a large southern city in China and he acquitted his responsibility very well. Perhaps the only carry-over from Marco’s China sojourn to the topic of China/foreign relations relevant to our main interest, the interrelation of China and the West in the early 20th century, was a carry-over of the condescension of China’s elite towards foreign societies.

China had far superior technical capabilities (compass, paper money, printing, silk etc.) and sought nothing from the West. When Marco Polo returned to Europe, however, the emperor sent along a letter addressed to the Pope in Rome requesting 100 Christian missionaries. It seems that Marco Polo’s religion interested the emperor. There is, however, no record that the Pope responded to the emperor’s request.

Marco Polo knelt before the Chinese (Manchu) emperor and offered “tribute”. He pleased the emperor and was richly rewarded, both in treasure and in winning an important political appointment in China’s government.

Some hundreds of years later emissaries to China from England refused to prostrate themselves before the Chinese emperor at the time. They further irritated the Court by attempting discussions on “trade” rather than “tribute”. Trade was considered an issue below the emperor’s concern as well as of his closest Confucian advisors. The English deputation was turned away and had little success in their mission.