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>