China Through the Eyes of the West From Marco Polo to the Last Emperor

China Revealed presents the history of the relationships between Europe and the Celestial Empire of classical antiquity, from the time when the caravans began to bring a divine fabric known as silk to the shores of the Mediterranean from the far-off, mysterious East, up to the fall of the Manchu dynasty in 1911. Through beautifully illustrated maps, ancient engravings, the first black-and-white pictures and color plates, this book describes the incredible experiences of those who ventured into distant Cathay, crossing the endless deserts of Asia and the treacherous oceans-the Franciscan monks who were the first to penetrate the Mongolian steppes, the merchants such as Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, the Portuguese sailors and Jesuit missionaries who became counsellors to the Son of the Heavens, and many more.