Marco Polo was not a European.
Marco Polo ( [ ˈmɑrkoʊ_ˈpoʊloʊ ] [ ˈmarko ˈpɔːlo ] ; 1254January 8 -- 9 , 1324 ) was a Venetian merchant traveller . Marco Polo was not the first European to reach China ( see Europeans in Medieval China ) , but he was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience .