Marco Polo and His Impact on China’s Development through Christian Missionaries, China and Europe, 1275-1842

<p><span>This study examines the impact of Marco Polo’s travels on the diffusion of Christian missionaries in China and its implications for China's overall economic development. The unit of analysis is at the prefecture level in historical China. The key variables include prefectures mentioned by Marco Polo and the years since the missionaries' first arrival. Specifically, the Polo-mentioned prefectures were identified from the Travels of Marco Polo, and the years since the missionaries' first arrival were calculated from individual missionary biographies. Data were also collected in the European and Indian contexts to demonstrate Marco Polo's impact beyond China.</span></p>

本研究考察马可·波罗（Marco Polo）的游历对基督教传教士在中国的传播所产生的影响，以及该影响对中国整体经济发展的启示意义。本研究的分析单元为中国历史时期的府级行政单位。核心变量包括马可·波罗提及的府级区域，以及传教士首次抵达对应区域后的年限。具体而言，马可·波罗提及的府级区域从《马可·波罗行纪》（Travels of Marco Polo）中甄别得到，而传教士首次抵达后的年限则通过传教士个人传记推算得出。为佐证马可·波罗的影响不仅局限于中国境内，本研究同时在欧洲与印度地区收集了相关数据。