What are Kyle Polo's travel notes describing the Tang Dynasty?

Trade between sub-countries depends on horses and chariots. From Shandong Peninsula in the east to Ukraine Plain in the west, there are vast and extensive highway stations and hotels. There are also highway patrol teams (patrol archers) to protect the safety of business travel. In this case, the prosperity of the city is increasing day by day. We can borrow a book published in Europe in this century (13) and have a bird's eye view of China cities in this century (13).

The author of this book is Kyle Poirot, a businessman from the Kingdom of Venice in Europe. I came to China with my father in this century 1275( 13) and returned to my hometown in the 1990s 17. In the third year after returning to China (1298), the kingdom of Venice went to war with the kingdom of Genoa (the capitals of both kingdoms are now Italian cities), and Kyle Poirot served as the captain of a warship, was defeated and captured, and was imprisoned in Genoa prison. In prison, he dictated his experiences in China to his cellmate, who wrote down that we would quote the world-famous Travel Notes of Marco Polo.

Kyle Poirot, if it weren't for this book, would have died with vegetation. This travel book is the same as Liu Yong's sentence "Sanqiu devil, lotus in ten miles". Future European explorers believe that sailing all the way to the west will definitely reach the Khan Land in Stalannis, Aglac, and this book has great temptation. We extract a passage from his description of Hangzhou to understand the scale of China's commercial city at that time. Hangzhou, the capital of the Song Dynasty imperial government, has maintained a population of more than one million for two centuries (even at the beginning of the 20th century, it was a surprisingly large number). Kyle Polo's vivid report brought us back to the13rd century and put us in a bustling crowd.

The streets and canals in Hangzhou are quite vast, and ships and carriages carry daily necessities and keep shuttling back and forth on the streets and canals. It is estimated that there are twelve thousand bridges in Hangzhou. The bridge connecting the main streets on both sides of the canal has advanced construction technology, which makes the arch of the bridge very high, so that ships with high masts can pass smoothly from below. The high arch bridge body does not hinder the carriage traffic, because the bridge deck is far away and begins to rise.

Its slope gradually rises until it reaches the apex of the arch bridge.

There are ten huge squares and markets in Hangzhou, and there are countless shops on both sides of the street. The length of each square is about one kilometer. Opposite the square is the main street, which is 40 steps wide and runs from one end of the city to the other. The canal is parallel to a main street, and there are huge warehouses built with huge stones on the river bank, which store goods brought by businessmen from India or other places. These foreign businessmen can easily trade in the nearest market. There are three trading days in a week. During these three trading days, there are always 40,000 to 50,000 people in each market.

The streets in Hangzhou are paved with stone slabs or square bricks. On both sides of the main road, ten steps apart, it is paved with slate or square bricks, but there are pebbles in the middle. Sewers crisscross, and rainwater can flow into canals. The streets are always very clean and dry. On the cobblestone roads in Ma Rulong, cars run like running water. The carriage is rectangular, with a canopy, silk curtains and silk cushions, which can accommodate six people.

Fish and shrimp caught from the inland sea 26 kilometers away are sent to Hangzhou every day. When you see a huge number of fish and shrimp, you will think about how to sell them. But it was snapped up in less than a few hours because there were too many residents in Hangzhou.

The street leading to the market is very busy, and some markets also have quite a few cold-water bathrooms, with male and female waiters serving as waiters respectively. People in Hangzhou, both men and women, bathe in cold water all year round. They have formed this habit since childhood, thinking that cold water is good for their health. Of course, there are hot water bathrooms, but only for foreigners, because foreigners can't stand cold water. Hangzhou citizens have to take a bath every day, mostly before dinner.

There is also a geisha area. I am surprised by the number of geisha. Their clothes are gorgeous and fragrant. The geisha hall is luxuriously equipped, and many maids wait on them. In another area, doctors and astrologers tell fortune.

High-rise buildings stand on both sides of the main street in Hangzhou. Men, like women, have thin skin and are handsome. However, women are particularly beautiful, with delicate facial features and weak clothes. Their clothes are all exquisite, besides being made of satin, they are also wearing jewels, which are priceless.

We should pay attention to two points. First, Europeans didn't know about bathing until this century (13rd century), so Kelpolo emphasized that people in China take a bath every day. Second, Europeans are very envious, and there are many silks and satins used in China, which surprised Kyle Poirot.