Marco Polo Old Time Radio Program
15 minute serial adventure

“Facing Death and Danger with a Laugh on his Lips”

Marco Polo was born in 1254 and died sometime around 1324. He was the son of successful Venetian merchant, Niccolo Polo. Niccolo and Marco's uncle Maffeo were merchants who had traded along the Silk Road with the east (China, Mongolia, Persian, and other hard to reach lands) and had met the Great Kublai Khan on one of their journeys. They arranged for a return trip, and on that second trip they brought Marco along. At this time Kublai Khan basically ruled the world. His empire was something like four times the size of the Roman Empire. If the Khan 'asked' you to do something, it wasn't really a request.

All three Polos made the return trip to Mongolia. And like unwelcome relatives, they spent 17 years there. Kublai Khan took a liking to Marco, who was an interesting and imaginative storyteller, which has driven historians nuts ever since. Marco was sent on many missions throughout the Mongol empire, including ambassadorships and governing the city of Yangzhou. Marco carried out these diplomatic assignments but also related his observations back to the Khan about the lands he traveled to, probably embellishing them to for dramatic effect.

According to Marco’s travel account, the Polos asked several times for permission to return to Europe but the Khan appreciated the visitors so much that he would not agree to their departure. Only in 1291 Kublai entrusted Marco with his last duty, to escort the Mongol princess Koekecin (Cocacin in Il Milione) to her betrothed, the Ilkhan Arghun.

Upon their return to Venice, people loved to hear his stories, but few really believed him. Marco Polo was later captured in a minor clash of the war between Venice and Genoa. He spent the few months of his imprisonment, in 1298, dictating to a fellow prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa, a detailed account of his travels in the then-unknown parts of China. Though Polo's book exaggerates places and cultures (and some scholars believe he never went as far east as China but only described places other travelers had been to), his book was widely published, translated into many languages, and thousands of copies were printed.

Polo's book includes fanciful accounts of men with tails and cannibals seem to be around every corner. The book is somewhat a geography of Asian provinces. It is divided into chapters covering specific regions and Polo delves into the politics, agriculture, military power, economy, sexual practices, burial system, and religions of each area. Polo brought the ideas of paper currency and coal to Europe. He also included second-hand reports of areas that he had not visited, such as Japan and Madagascar.

This Old Time Radio Program was created by the Australian BBC, and tells of Marco's journey and adventures in 15 minute serialized episodes. The programs all tell one story, each episode is not a stand alone tale. Each episode tries to end on a cliffhanger leading you to tune in next week.