In 1254, Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy, to a wealthy family of Venetian merchants. His parents are Nicole Anna Defuseh and Niccolò Polo, but he grew up in an extended family. His father and uncle were well-traveled merchants, and his mother died when he was six. In 1262, Mark's father and uncle took an unforgettable trip to Kaifeng, China to meet Kublai Khan, who is the grandson of Genghis Khan. While they were in China, Kubali expressed great interest in Christianity. He wanted Marco's father and uncle to bring one hundred priests and holy water with them when they returned to China. In 1269 the men returned to Venice and immediately planned their return, this time bringing Marco with them. In 1271 all three left for the magnificent journey to China. They failed to gather the hundred priests Kublai requested. They brought two, but turned back at the beginning of the journey. The journey has been full of 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 trudge through mountains and valleys with little or no food source. After four years of perilous 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 in his court. He too was very happy with Marco; therefore, he gave him a special job. Marco spent most of his time traveling to then unknown places. He was then governor of a Chinese city, Privy Council official, and tax inspector. He asked for great knowledge during his journey. He was amazed by their economy and the form of currency... middle of paper... his father and uncle would never have gone to China in the first place, giving Marco the chance to go. Kublai saw Marco's eagerness to work and saw his passion for discovering new things. Kublai made all of Marco's dreams come true and helped him go to all the wonderful places he went. 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 made one of the first great trips to China? There's only one, and that's Marco. He accomplished things unimaginable for his time. Most people only dreamed of these things and found it very difficult to believe that they were true. I would have loved to travel and see the great things that he saw, and have the opportunities that he had. Works CitedChildress, Diana. Marco Polo's journey to China. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. Print.