Marco Polo was an Asia.
Marco Polo ( [ ˈmɑrkoʊ_ˈpoʊloʊ ] [ ˈmarko ˈpɔːlo ] ; 1254January 8 -- 9 , 1324 ) was a Venetian merchant traveller . His travels are recorded in Livres des merveilles du monde ( Book of the Marvels of the World , also known as The Travels of Marco Polo , c. 1300 ) , a book that described to Europeans the wealth and great size of China , its capital Peking , and other Asian cities and countries . He learned the mercantile trade from his father and uncle , Niccolò and Maffeo , who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan . The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia , returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa ; Marco was imprisoned and dictated his stories to a cellmate .