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Marco Polo, perhaps the best know long distance traveler, his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo, began the surge of long distance trade and travel. The Venetian family was among the first European merchants to visit China. They met the great Khubilai Khan, who took a special liking to Marco. Marco, a marvelous conversationalist and storyteller, was allowed by the khan to pursue his mercantile interests in China and also sent him on numerous diplomatic missions. In 1288, after 17 years in China, the Polo’s returned home to Venice. By accident, Marcos travels were preserved in history. His native Venice and their rival Genoa were involved in conflict, an