In 1254, Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy, into a very wealthy Venetian merchant family. His parents are Nicole Anna Defuseh and Niccolo Polo, but he was raised by extended family. His father and uncle were merchants who traveled widely, and his mother died when he was six. In 1262, Marco's father and uncle made an unforgettable trip to Kaifeng, China, to meet Kublai Khan, who is the grandson of Genghis Khan. During their stay in China, Kubali expressed great interest in Christianity. He wanted Marco's father and uncle to bring with them a hundred priests and holy water when they returned to China. In 1269, the men returned to Venice and immediately planned their return, this time taking Marco with them. In 1271, the three of them left for the magnificent journey to China. They were unable to gather the hundred priests requested by Kublai. They brought two, but they turned back at the beginning of the trip. The journey has been filled with obstacles and challenges. In modern-day Afghanistan, Marco had to evacuate to the mountains to recover from an illness he had contracted. In the Golbi Desert, they had to cross mountains and valleys with few or no food sources. After four years of dangerous travel, the trio finally arrived in China. They went to visit Kublai in his summer palace. Khan gave Marco's father and uncle high positions at his court. He was also very happy with Marco; that is why he gave him a special job. Marco spent most of his time traveling to places unknown at the time. He was then governor of a Chinese city, a Privy Council official and a tax inspector. He required great knowledge on his journey. He was amazed by their economy and the form of their currency...... middle of paper...... father and uncle would never have traveled to China in the first place, giving Marco a chance to go . Kublai saw Marco's eagerness to work and his passion for discovering new things. Kublai made Marco's dream come true and helped him visit all the great places he went to. I think Marco Polo was very successful. How many people can say they were in Kublai Khan's court? How many people can say they took one of the first major trips to China? There's only one, and it's Marco. He accomplished things unimaginable in his time. Most people only dreamed about these things and had a hard time believing they were true. I would have loved to travel and see the great things he saw, and have the opportunities he had. Works Cited Childress, Diana. Marco Polo's trip to China. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. Print.