The Travels of Marco Polo is a book that interests the West in the East. It was dictated by Kyle Polo in prison. However, many people suspect that he is just lying. Kyle said angrily before he died, "I swear to God, I saw more than I said! Although most westerners later admitted that The Travels of Marco Polo was an important work of cultural exchange, it is still controversial whether Kyle Polo has been to China. Speaking carefully, whether Kyle Poirot has ever been to China is really a big unsolved case. People who think he hasn't been here usually use these reasons to prove that he is lying:
1. Kyle Poirot claimed to be deeply loved by Kublai Khan and became the administrator of Yangzhou at the age of 23. However, there has never been a record of an Italian being an administrator in Yangzhou in China. Kyle Poirot claimed to have been to China 1275. At that time, Kyle Poirot only stayed in China for two years. How can he be a big official in a metropolis like Yangzhou? If he really became an administrator, it will be recorded in China that foreigners become officials. In fact, the name Kelpolo has never appeared in China's historical materials.
2. Kelpolo also said that he had taught Mongols to make boomerang guns and captured Xiangyang. The Yuan Dynasty also mentioned the issue of offering guns in Xiangyang. But the provider is not Kyle, but a Persian. Did Yuan Shi remember wrong? No way! Because Xiangyang gave the gun at 1273, Kelpolo claimed that the time to China was1275; The Persian who gave the gun died in 1274, when Kyle was still on the road! Some people say that the name of the son of Persia is close to that of Kyle. Could they be the same person? It's impossible! Because the son of Persia died in China in 1330, and Kelpolo died in Europe in 1324.
For the west, China's most distinctive tea, Chinese characters and the Great Wall have never been mentioned by Kelpolo.
4. Many Persian and Mongolian names are used in the place names of China described in Marco Polo's Travels.
5. Kyle Poirot's description of southern China is full of mistakes and very formulaic.
So some people think that Kyle Poirot has never really been to China. He may only go to a country like Persia, listen to Persian businessmen talking about China, read some travel guides, listen to gossip, and make up The Travels of Marco Polo with his own imagination and fabrication.
Others believe that Kyle Poirot has indeed been to China. The reason for this is the following：
1. Although the name Kelpolo has never appeared in China's history books, there is circumstantial evidence. At the Yongle ceremony? The historical materials of Zhanchi include the historical materials of Kublai Khan's three emissaries (129 1), and also written by The Travels of Marco Polo. The names of the three messengers are the same. It proves that Kelpolo is in 129 1 indeed in China.
2. Kyle Poirot didn't know Chinese characters and was not used to drinking tea, so he didn't mention it in his travel notes.
3. The names of Persia and Mongolia are used in the place names of China described by Kelpolo, which shows that Kelpolo has more contact with Mongols and Persians in China, and seldom contacts with Han Chinese.
As a foreigner, it is difficult for him to have a firm understanding of China. Although there are many mistakes in his travel notes, this does not prove that he has never been to China.
5. Kyle Polo's descriptions of many historical sites and buildings in China are subtle and correct, which would not be so clear if he hadn't seen them with his own eyes.
Although these seem to refute the view that Kyle Poirot has never been to China, obviously, there is still no strong evidence to prove that he did come. Let's unify the statements of both sides. With the third point, I also support it. That is to say, Kyle Poirot has indeed been to China, but he may only have been to the north of China, and things in the south are mostly hearsay or casual (which can also explain why his description of the north is correct and his description of the south is wrong and formulaic). He is not a senior official. He may be just a small official, a storyteller or just a businessman. After he returned to Europe, in order to be famous, he made up a story about Yangzhou being an official and Xiangyang offering guns. If so, he took the trouble to come to China. He is indeed a tireless traveler. But his vanity and one-sided fabrication of facts greatly reduced his historical position.