Marco Polo (September 15, 1254 – January 8, 1324) was an Italian merchant who is well known for his stories of his travels to Asia ad the court of Kublai Khan, documented in The Travels of Marco Polo.  He was born into a wealthy and prestigious merchant family in Venice. His father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo travelled to China before Marco was born, and he did meet them until the age of 15 when they returned in 1269.  Their travels spanned a course of 24 years, many of them spent in service to Kublai Khan.  When they returned in 1295 Venice was at war with Genoa.  Marco was imprisoned in Genoa, where he related his stories to cellmate Rustichello da Pisa.  He was released, made a fortune as a merchant, married and fathered three children. While Marco Polo was not the first to visit China, he was the first to document the experience and thus providing Europeans with their first comprehensive picture of the Far East.