Travels Of Marco Polo: Eighty Seven

When a man departs from Kinsai, and goes a day to the southeast, he finds most pleasant houses and gardens, and all means of living in great abundance.  At the end of the day, he discovers the city already named, which is very large and beautiful, and is dependent on Kinsai.  The people are subject to the Khan, use paper money, are idolaters, and burn the bodies of their dead.  They live by merchandise and arts, and have an ample supply of provisions.  And when a man goes three days to the southeast, seeing very large cities and castles, and much trade, he comes to the city of Ungui, under the government of Kinsai. [1]  When he departs from Ungui, and goes two days southeast, he sees everywhere towns and castles, so that he seems to be going through a city.  Everything is in abundance, and here are the largest and longest cane in all the country, some are four palms in circuit and fifteen paces long.  At the end of two days he comes to Chengui [2] which is large and beautiful.  The people are idolaters, subject to the great Khan, have abundance of silk and provisions.  In going four days southeast, he finds cities and castles, and all things in utmost plenty.  There are birds and beasts for chase.  Lions very large and fierce.  There are no sheeps or lambs, but oxen, goats and hogs in great variety.  At the end of four days he finds Ciancian [3] The city is situated on a mountain, which divides the river into two parts, each flowing in different directions.  The people are like the former, and at the end of three days more we reach the city of Cangui [4]  It is large and beautiful, and this is the last under the jurisdiction of Kinsai.  Now commences another kingdom, which is one of the nine parts of Manji, and is called Fugui.[5]

____________________________________

1. Ungui: Modern day Lanzhou, is the capital of Ganzu province in northwestern China.

2. Chengui: Modern day Qazvin, in Iran.

3. Ciancian: Modern day Quanzhou, a port city on the northern bank of Jin river, beside the Taiwan strait in Fujian, China.   

4. Cangui: Modern day Khiva located in Uzbekistan.

5. Fugui: Modern day Fuzhou in the Fujian province of China 

End of the Section