Marco Polo’s Hangzhou

Granted, Hangzhou is a great city today – plenty of commerce, touristic delights. But on the WTO scale of things, it’s a second tier city, and that’s just a shame. When Marco Polo passed through in the thirteenth century, Hangzhou was the Heavenly City, described by the one guy who would know as unparalleled the world over.

Called Kin-sai at the time, Hangzhou was already in decline from its Song Dynasty heyday. But that didn’t stop Marco Polo from giving it the most extended description of any place in China, despite allegiance to Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. The following passages reveal that, on the 13^th century scale of things, Hangzhou was New York City, Shanghai, and Paris combined.

On Keeping Clean

The streets connected with the market-squares are numerous, and in some of them are many cold baths, attended by servants of both sexes, to perform the offices of ablution for the men and women who frequent them, and who from their childhood have been accustomed at all times to wash in cold water, which they reckon highly conducive to health.

At these bathing places, however, they have apartments provided with warm water, for the use of strangers, who, from not being habituated to it, cannot bear the shock of the cold. All are in the daily practice of washing their persons, and especially before their meals.

On The Oldest Profession

In other streets are the habitations of the courtesans, who are here in such numbers as I dare not venture to report: and not only near the squares, which is the situation usually appropriated for their residence, but in every part of the city they are to be found, adorned with much finery, highly perfumed, occupying well-furnished houses, and attended by many female domestics.

These women are accomplished and are perfect in the arts of blandishment and dalliance, which they accompany with expressions adapted to every description of person, insomuch that strangers who have once tasted of their charms; remain in a state of fascination, and become so enchanted by their meretricious arts that they can never divest themselves of the impression.

Thus intoxicated with sensual pleasures, when they return to their homes they report that they have been in Kin-sai, or the celestial city, and pant for the time when they may be enabled to revisit paradise.

On How the Other Half Live

The opulent principals in these manufactories do not labor with their own hands, but, on the contrary, assume airs of gentility and affect parade. Their wives equally abstain from work. They have much beauty, as has been remarked, and are brought up with delicate and languid habits. The costliness of their dresses, silks and jewelry, can scarcely be imagined.

Although the laws of their ancient kings ordained that each citizen should exercise the profession of his father, yet they were allowed, when they acquired wealth, to discontinue the manual labor, provided they kept up the establishment, and employed persons to work at their paternal trades. Their houses are well built and richly adorned with carved work. So much do they delight in ornaments of this kind, in paintings, and fancy buildings, that the sums they lavish on such objects are enormous.

On Community Spirit

Contentious broils are never heard among them. They conduct their mercantile and manufacturing concerns with perfect candor and probity. They are friendly towards each other, and persons who inhabit the same street, both men and women from the mere circumstance of neighborhood appear like one family.

In their domestic manners they are free from jealousy or suspicion of their wives, to whom great respect is shown, and any man would be accounted infamous who should presume to use indecent expressions to a married woman. The strangers also, who visit their city in the way of commerce, they give proofs of cordiality, inviting them freely to their houses, showing them hospitable attention, and furnishing them with the best advice and assistance in their mercantile transactions.

On the West Lake

Near the central part are two islands, upon each of which stands a superb building, with an incredible number of apartments and separate pavilion. When the inhabitants of the city have occasion to celebrate a wedding, or to give a sumptuous entertainment, they resort to one of these islands, where they find ready for their purpose every article that can be required, such as vessels, napkins, table-linen, and the like, which are provided and kept there at the common expense of the citizens, by whom also the buildings are erected.

In addition to this, there are upon the lake a great number of pleasure vessels or barges, calculated for holding ten, fifteen, to twenty persons, being from fifteen to twenty paces in length, with a wide and flat flooring, and not liable to heel to either side in passing through the water.

Such persons as take delight in the amusement, and mean to enjoy it, either in the company of their women or that of their male companions, engage one of these barges, which are always kept in the nicest order, with proper seats and tables, together with every other kind of furniture necessary for giving an entertainment.

The cabins have a flat roof or upper deck, and there are windows on each side, which may be kept shut, or opened, to give an opportunity to the company of looking out in every direction and feasting their eyes on the variety and beauty of the scenes as they pass them.

Related posts:

1. Marco Polo Syndrome
2. 4 Star Hotel in Center of Hangzhou – CNY 298

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