Marco Polo Was in China

Hans Ulrich Vogel, Ph.D. (1983) in Sinology, Zürich University is Professor for Chinese History and Society at Tübingen University. He has published monographs, articles and translations mainly on the history of society, economy, science and technology in premodern China.

• Preface from Mark ElvinPréface de Philippe MénardPreface from the AuthorAcknowledgmentsTransliteration and ConventionsI. IntroductionII.Paper Money in Yuan ChinaIII. Cowry Monies Circulating in Yunnan and Southeast AsiaIV.Salt Production and Salt Monies in Yunnan and TebetV.Production, Revenue and Trade of Salt in Changlu and LianghuaiVI. Tax Revenue of Hangzhou and its TerritoryVII. Administrative-geographical Divisions in Yuan ChinaVIII.ConclusionsAppendicesBibliographyIndex

'...an entirely new picture of the Chinese economic system with incredible insights into every-day life. I strongly recommend anyone to go to all the bother of reading the entire monograph.'Ursula Kampmann, Coins Weekly'Unlike his predecessors in the West who mainly relied on European sources, or those in China who relied on Chinese sources, Vogel’s book is a masterwork using primary sources and secondary literature of different origins and cultural backgrounds. (...) Vogel, instead, extensively examines research on these topics published in Chinese, thereby shedding light on the findings of Chinese scholars in these areas, particularly for Western scholars who cannot read Chinese. The author offers a most thorough discussion of the pros and cons of Marco Polo’s authenticity, and so provides a convincing defence. Vogel’s work greatly enhances our comprehension of the fiscal situation of the Yuan. It does in fact reveal new data, provide new lenses and document new methodological approaches to historical perspectives. This excellent book is to be warmly commended. It offers a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to study Marco Polo and Chinese economic history.'Na Chang, Reviews in History (2014) 1667 (DOI: 10.14296/RiH/2014/1667)'Vogel does indeed deliver in abundance what his title promises, that is, decisive and irrefutable evidence that Polo’s time in China was more or less what he said it was.(...) It is all the more important, then, that his title not be taken as limiting the scope of work simply to Polo’s travels. Anyone interested in the Mongol-era China’s economy, finance and administration will find this book an invaluable treasure trove of information. The work on currency equivalencies, for example, will undoubtedly prove foundational for much future research on the fiscal systems of the Mongol empire and late imperial Eurasia generally.'Christopher P. Atwood (Indiana University, USA), Inner Asia 17 (2015), 351–357