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这是一段对欧洲影响重大的历史，是亚欧较量中，亚强欧弱、实力悬殊的一个少有例子。本文能以西方人的角度，尽量持平地既不忘蒙古人对欧洲的征服和占领；也提到了由此带来的优缺点，实属难得。但我们仍能从作者在描写蒙古人一马平川、长驱直入欧洲时用的动词中，窥其主观色彩一斑：invade, impose, crush, conquer, destroy…… 骁勇好战的蒙古人以征服作为他们的通行证，一路之上，所向披靡；而在他们铁骑蹄下，又是多少人在为战争与和平付出代价呢？
Western travelers and adventurers beginning with Marco Polo are justly celebrated as symbols of Europe’s desire to explore the world. Marco Polo’s book about China inspired Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan and other great western explorers to set out on their voyages and to find China.
But what about Chinese explorers? How did China discover the West?
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Song rose to replace them and rule China. They were highly cultured, they 1)cherished art and poetry. Their emperors instituted wise policies which increased 2)prosperity and earned the respect and affection of the people. They founded universities and oversaw the most dynamic period of technological innovation China has ever experienced. br>
But they were not warriors and they had to 3)bribe the Mongolians not to attack.
The Mongols, under the leadership of Kublai Khan, the grandson of the great Genghis, finally invaded China and crushed the Song, whom they saw as weak and a feat, and they imposed a brutal 4)predatory peace on Central Asia, from China, Korea and Southeast Asia to the Middle East and the borders of Europe, they even tried twice to invade Japan. They conquered Russia, swept through Poland, into Germany, Hungary and the Balkans;they invaded Burma, Vietnam, and Cambodia; they conquered Persia, and totally destroyed the city of Baghdad; they would probably have destroyed Vienna had 5)succession 6)intrigues back home not caused them to call off their siege.
Ironically Mongol control of all of Central Asia created a period of free and safe passage for merchants traveling along the Asian 7)routes from East to West; it was a period of safe travel known as the 8)Pax Mongolica.
It was not only luxury goods which traveled over the Silk Road, ideas moved along with the trade goods. Buddhism had come to China over the Silk Road and when the route was 9)re-opened and protected by the Mongols, scientific ideas and technical inventions from China flowed into Europe.
By the 14th century, without any real appreciation of their origin, the Europeans were using numerous Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, the compass, better 10)stern post 11)rutters on ships and better plows, just to name a few. These innovations and inventions that traveled along with silk to the West were the key 12)agents of social change in Europe.
As was another 13)stowaway hidden away on the 14)caravans arriving in the West, 15)the Black Death. This disease which originated in Central Asia 16)decimated Europe; more than a third of the population died. This terrible 17)plague caused such a severe labor shortage in Europe that there was a real need to adopt these Chinese labor-saving technical inventions and innovations.
从马可·波罗开始的西方旅游者和探险家们被赞颂为欧洲向世界探索的象征。马可·波罗写的关于中国的书启发了哥伦布、达·迦马、麦哲伦和其他伟大的西方探险家展开他们的旅程，寻找到达中国之途。
不过中国的探险者又怎么样呢？中国又是怎样发现西方的呢？
唐代衰亡后，宋代崛起，统治中国。他们有高度发达的文明，他们重视艺术和诗歌。他们的皇帝实行开明的政策，使得国家日益繁荣，并赢得人民的尊重和爱戴。他们创立大学，并迎来了中国科技创新最蓬勃的时期。
不过他们不擅武力，只有贿赂蒙古部族，以使其不再攻击他们。
成吉思汗的孙子忽必烈统治下的蒙古，认为宋朝衰弱无能，必能被攻克而成就大业，最终进攻中原，灭亡了宋朝。他们在中亚地区以残暴的手段维持秩序，由中国、朝鲜、东南亚直至中东和欧洲边界，甚至还两次试图入侵日本。他们征服了俄罗斯，横扫波兰，进入德国、匈牙利和巴尔干半岛。他们入侵缅甸、越南和柬埔寨。他们占领了波斯，铲平了巴格达。要不是因为继位纷争的解围，使他们的侵略被叫停，可能连维也纳都会被他们摧毁的。
讽刺的是，蒙古人对中亚全境的控制，反而为商队创造了一段由东向西的自由安全的亚洲路线。这段安全商旅的时期，被称为“蒙古和平”。
丝绸之路运输的不只是奢侈品，思想和贸易货物也一同在传输着。佛教就是经丝绸之路东传至中国的。当蒙古人重开并保护丝绸之路之后，中国的科学思想和技术发明就传至欧洲了。
到了14世纪，欧洲人开始已经使用了很多中国的发明，却对这些发明的来源一无所知。例如，火药、指南针、改良过的船尾骨、较好的犁，以上只是一鳞半爪。这些创新和发明跟丝绸一起被传至西方，是欧洲社会变革的主要催化剂。
另一样隐蔽之物也随着商队一起到达了西方——黑死病。这种病源自中亚，杀死了欧洲超过三分之一的人口。这可怕的疫病引致欧洲劳动力严重短缺，欧洲不得不采用中国节省劳动力的技术发明。
Western travelers and adventurers beginning with Marco Polo are justly celebrated as symbols of Europe’s desire to explore the world. Marco Polo’s book about China inspired Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan and other great western explorers to set out on their voyages and to find China.
But what about Chinese explorers? How did China discover the West?
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Song rose to replace them and rule China. They were highly cultured, they 1)cherished art and poetry. Their emperors instituted wise policies which increased 2)prosperity and earned the respect and affection of the people. They founded universities and oversaw the most dynamic period of technological innovation China has ever experienced. br>
But they were not warriors and they had to 3)bribe the Mongolians not to attack.
The Mongols, under the leadership of Kublai Khan, the grandson of the great Genghis, finally invaded China and crushed the Song, whom they saw as weak and a feat, and they imposed a brutal 4)predatory peace on Central Asia, from China, Korea and Southeast Asia to the Middle East and the borders of Europe, they even tried twice to invade Japan. They conquered Russia, swept through Poland, into Germany, Hungary and the Balkans;they invaded Burma, Vietnam, and Cambodia; they conquered Persia, and totally destroyed the city of Baghdad; they would probably have destroyed Vienna had 5)succession 6)intrigues back home not caused them to call off their siege.
Ironically Mongol control of all of Central Asia created a period of free and safe passage for merchants traveling along the Asian 7)routes from East to West; it was a period of safe travel known as the 8)Pax Mongolica.
It was not only luxury goods which traveled over the Silk Road, ideas moved along with the trade goods. Buddhism had come to China over the Silk Road and when the route was 9)re-opened and protected by the Mongols, scientific ideas and technical inventions from China flowed into Europe.
By the 14th century, without any real appreciation of their origin, the Europeans were using numerous Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, the compass, better 10)stern post 11)rutters on ships and better plows, just to name a few. These innovations and inventions that traveled along with silk to the West were the key 12)agents of social change in Europe.
As was another 13)stowaway hidden away on the 14)caravans arriving in the West, 15)the Black Death. This disease which originated in Central Asia 16)decimated Europe; more than a third of the population died. This terrible 17)plague caused such a severe labor shortage in Europe that there was a real need to adopt these Chinese labor-saving technical inventions and innovations.
从马可·波罗开始的西方旅游者和探险家们被赞颂为欧洲向世界探索的象征。马可·波罗写的关于中国的书启发了哥伦布、达·迦马、麦哲伦和其他伟大的西方探险家展开他们的旅程，寻找到达中国之途。
不过中国的探险者又怎么样呢？中国又是怎样发现西方的呢？
唐代衰亡后，宋代崛起，统治中国。他们有高度发达的文明，他们重视艺术和诗歌。他们的皇帝实行开明的政策，使得国家日益繁荣，并赢得人民的尊重和爱戴。他们创立大学，并迎来了中国科技创新最蓬勃的时期。
不过他们不擅武力，只有贿赂蒙古部族，以使其不再攻击他们。
成吉思汗的孙子忽必烈统治下的蒙古，认为宋朝衰弱无能，必能被攻克而成就大业，最终进攻中原，灭亡了宋朝。他们在中亚地区以残暴的手段维持秩序，由中国、朝鲜、东南亚直至中东和欧洲边界，甚至还两次试图入侵日本。他们征服了俄罗斯，横扫波兰，进入德国、匈牙利和巴尔干半岛。他们入侵缅甸、越南和柬埔寨。他们占领了波斯，铲平了巴格达。要不是因为继位纷争的解围，使他们的侵略被叫停，可能连维也纳都会被他们摧毁的。
讽刺的是，蒙古人对中亚全境的控制，反而为商队创造了一段由东向西的自由安全的亚洲路线。这段安全商旅的时期，被称为“蒙古和平”。
丝绸之路运输的不只是奢侈品，思想和贸易货物也一同在传输着。佛教就是经丝绸之路东传至中国的。当蒙古人重开并保护丝绸之路之后，中国的科学思想和技术发明就传至欧洲了。
到了14世纪，欧洲人开始已经使用了很多中国的发明，却对这些发明的来源一无所知。例如，火药、指南针、改良过的船尾骨、较好的犁，以上只是一鳞半爪。这些创新和发明跟丝绸一起被传至西方，是欧洲社会变革的主要催化剂。
另一样隐蔽之物也随着商队一起到达了西方——黑死病。这种病源自中亚，杀死了欧洲超过三分之一的人口。这可怕的疫病引致欧洲劳动力严重短缺，欧洲不得不采用中国节省劳动力的技术发明。