On this day 771 years ago, on September 15, 1254 (August 2, 1254 lunar calendar), Italian traveler Marco Polo was born. Marco Polo [September 15, 1254~ 1324] was a world-famous traveler and merchant. He was born in 1254 in Venice, Italy to a merchant family and a traveling family. His father Niccolo and uncle Matteo were both Venetian merchants. At the age of 17, Marco Polo followed his father and uncle through the Middle East. He came to China for more than four years and traveled in China for 17 years. After returning to China, he published a book "The Travels of Marco Polo" (also known as "The Travels of Marco Polo", "The Records of the East"). The account of his experiences in China, the richest country in the East, aroused the enthusiasm of Europeans for the East, which had a huge impact on the opening of new shipping routes in the future. At the same time, Western geographers also drew early "world maps" based on the description in the book. "The Travels of Marco Polo" is the first detailed account of Chinese history, culture and art written by Europeans. According to Ramusio, a 16th-century Italian collector and geographer, Marco Polo completed "Travels" in 1299, and "a few months later the book was everywhere in Italy" (Note: Lach, p. 35.). Before the death of Marco Polo in 1324, the Travels of Marco Polo had been translated into many European languages and was widely circulated. There are 119 versions of the Travels of Marco Polo in various languages. The Travels of Marco Polo was of great significance in spreading Chinese culture and art to Europe. Maurice Collis, a scholar of Western studies of Marco Polo, believes that Marco Polo's Travels "is not a simple travelogue, but an enlightenment work. For the isolated Europeans, it is no different from deafening, showing Europeans a new field of knowledge and vision. The significance of this book is that it led to a wide-ranging renaissance of European humanities." Comments: Because he started exchanges between China and the West, which led to many great changes in Western Europe