It was against this background that the 14th-century Travels of Marco Polo conveyed the vision of China as a rich and prosperous paradise. When Portuguese rounded the Cape of Good Hope and developed trade with the East in the 16th century, they brought back silk, tea, porcelain and lacquer that were exquisite beyond imagination.
在這樣的背景之下，十四世紀馬可波羅的《東遊記》，生動描述了中國富庶繁華的樂土形象；十六世紀葡萄牙人更繞過好望角發展東方貿易，帶回精緻得不可思議的絲綢茶葉瓷器漆器。