Marco Polo reaches Kublai Khan's court

1275

After four years crossing deserts and mountains, the Polos arrived at Kublai's summer capital Shangdu. The khan reportedly took a liking to the young Marco and kept him in service for nearly two decades, sending him on missions across his empire. Polo's later descriptions of Shangdu, with its marble palace and cane pavilion surrounded by gardens, inspired Coleridge's famous vision of Xanadu.