Xiaolin Ma
Prof. Ma Xiaolin马晓林 is a specialist in the Mongol Empire and Eurasian Exchanges. As PhD. in History and Bachelor in Engineering, he has a wide interest in multilingual texts and contexts.
He is the author of Marco Polo and Yuan China: Texts, Rituals and Beliefs (2018) and more than fifty articles, the translator (from English/French/Japanese into Chinese) of two books and several articles, and the co-editor of three books. His forthcoming book is a monograph on the Imperial Sacrifices of the Mongol-Yuan Empire.
He is currently Professor at Department of History, Nankai University. He also serves as the vice secretary of the Yuan History Society of China.
He is the author of Marco Polo and Yuan China: Texts, Rituals and Beliefs (2018) and more than fifty articles, the translator (from English/French/Japanese into Chinese) of two books and several articles, and the co-editor of three books. His forthcoming book is a monograph on the Imperial Sacrifices of the Mongol-Yuan Empire.
He is currently Professor at Department of History, Nankai University. He also serves as the vice secretary of the Yuan History Society of China.
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The sacrifice to heaven on the Sun-Moon Mountain in A.D. 1252, i.e., the second year of Emperor Xianzong Möngke's reign, was an important political and cultural event in the Yuan dynasty, but there were differences in key details from different documents. The writings and rewritings under the reigns of Möngke, Qubilai, and Toqtemür reflect the evolution and integration process of the politico-cultural traditions of the Yuan dynasty.
China. The historical value of these materials has been noted both Chinese and overseas scholars.
Drawing on the new philological achievements of European academia on the studies of original texts
in Latin, Italian, and French helps transcend the limits of using second-hand translations by previous
scholars. Meanwhile, textual criticism of the Chinese historical documents by making reference to
their recent translations in English and Japanese promotes research on the history of Yuan China and
Sino-foreign relations. The considerable accounts of the Yuan imperial festivals by Marco Polo’s
Devisement dou Monde and Odorico’s Relatio, constitute the core texts for contemporary travelers to
construct the image of China.
The two festivals recorded by Marco Polo and the four festivals recorded by Odorico da Pordenone
can all be explained in the context of the historical realities in the two specific phases of the Yuan
Dynasty. Marco Polo mentioned two festivals, one for the New Year and the other for the birthday of the
Great Khan. Among the ten rituals recorded in the Yuanshi (History of the Yuan Dynasty), the first two are
consistent with the accounts of Marco Polo. At the beginning of 1284, Qubilai held another ceremony in
Dadu, but Marco Polo did not mention it, which confirms the fact that he had left Dadu for Yangzhou at
that time. The other seven rituals were never held during Marco Polo’ s stay in China. Among the four
festivals recorded by Odorico da Pordenone, the first two are the same as those of Marco Polo, and for the
other two unnamed by Odorico, in the historical context of the reign of Emperor Taiding (1324-1328), the
options could be the crown prince’s birthday, the parade in the imperial city, or the welcoming ceremony
on the occasion of the imperial parade returning to Dadu. In the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial parades
between the two capitals and imperial huntings in the spring and autumn were institutionally
implemented. The welcoming ceremonies when the imperial parade returned to Dadu each year actually
became a festival. The details of the imperial guards, itinerary, and etiquette described by Marco Polo
and Odorico da Pordenone are all confirmed by Chinese historical documents. Odorico da Pordenone’s
recounting of the anecdote that he and the Franciscans met the Great Khan took place right in the
welcoming ceremony when the emperor arrived in Dadu from Shangdu.
After textual criticism, Odorico’s three-color costumes (de viride, de sanguineo, de croceo) in the
court festival are in line with the green, scarlet and purple official costumes of the Yuan Dynasty. Marco
Polo and Odorico also provided rich and credible details on the court banquet, the procedure for
courtiers to present gifts, and the ceremonial deacons, etc.
Corroboration of various Chinese and Western literatures can prove the authenticity and importance
of the historical materials left by Marco Polo and Odorico. Many previously unresolved issues can be
explained by the solid evidence of linguistic research and historical backgrounds. A specific ceremony
can associate a traveler with specific time and place, which provides clues for Marco Polo and
Odorico’s trackway in China. The travelogues of Marco Polo and Odorico da Pordenone actively
promoted the images of Yuan China in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
元代蒙古传统的祭天仪式分为主格黎、洒马湩两种。以竿悬肉的主格黎祭祀，是蒙古最古老的祭祀。金朝拜天与主格黎仪式有类似之处，因此被木华黎接受。至元九年（1275）中书省革去金朝拜天遗制，是规范地方官方祭祀活动，但相关的射柳击毬风尚继续留存。洒马湩是蒙元时期最高级别的国家祭祀，形成于成吉思汗时期，每年在两个时节举行。六月二十四日洒马妳子，是元中后期出现的一种特殊的祭祀，是蒙古、汉文化交融的结果。
元代将各宗教的祈福仪式、郊祀都视为祭天仪式，一些蒙古人参与并影响了郊祀。蒙元时期蒙古人的各种祭天仪式体现出复杂性和多元文化交融的特点。
The sacrifice to heaven on the Sun-Moon Mountain in A.D. 1252, i.e., the second year of Emperor Xianzong Möngke's reign, was an important political and cultural event in the Yuan dynasty, but there were differences in key details from different documents. The writings and rewritings under the reigns of Möngke, Qubilai, and Toqtemür reflect the evolution and integration process of the politico-cultural traditions of the Yuan dynasty.
China. The historical value of these materials has been noted both Chinese and overseas scholars.
Drawing on the new philological achievements of European academia on the studies of original texts
in Latin, Italian, and French helps transcend the limits of using second-hand translations by previous
scholars. Meanwhile, textual criticism of the Chinese historical documents by making reference to
their recent translations in English and Japanese promotes research on the history of Yuan China and
Sino-foreign relations. The considerable accounts of the Yuan imperial festivals by Marco Polo’s
Devisement dou Monde and Odorico’s Relatio, constitute the core texts for contemporary travelers to
construct the image of China.
The two festivals recorded by Marco Polo and the four festivals recorded by Odorico da Pordenone
can all be explained in the context of the historical realities in the two specific phases of the Yuan
Dynasty. Marco Polo mentioned two festivals, one for the New Year and the other for the birthday of the
Great Khan. Among the ten rituals recorded in the Yuanshi (History of the Yuan Dynasty), the first two are
consistent with the accounts of Marco Polo. At the beginning of 1284, Qubilai held another ceremony in
Dadu, but Marco Polo did not mention it, which confirms the fact that he had left Dadu for Yangzhou at
that time. The other seven rituals were never held during Marco Polo’ s stay in China. Among the four
festivals recorded by Odorico da Pordenone, the first two are the same as those of Marco Polo, and for the
other two unnamed by Odorico, in the historical context of the reign of Emperor Taiding (1324-1328), the
options could be the crown prince’s birthday, the parade in the imperial city, or the welcoming ceremony
on the occasion of the imperial parade returning to Dadu. In the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial parades
between the two capitals and imperial huntings in the spring and autumn were institutionally
implemented. The welcoming ceremonies when the imperial parade returned to Dadu each year actually
became a festival. The details of the imperial guards, itinerary, and etiquette described by Marco Polo
and Odorico da Pordenone are all confirmed by Chinese historical documents. Odorico da Pordenone’s
recounting of the anecdote that he and the Franciscans met the Great Khan took place right in the
welcoming ceremony when the emperor arrived in Dadu from Shangdu.
After textual criticism, Odorico’s three-color costumes (de viride, de sanguineo, de croceo) in the
court festival are in line with the green, scarlet and purple official costumes of the Yuan Dynasty. Marco
Polo and Odorico also provided rich and credible details on the court banquet, the procedure for
courtiers to present gifts, and the ceremonial deacons, etc.
Corroboration of various Chinese and Western literatures can prove the authenticity and importance
of the historical materials left by Marco Polo and Odorico. Many previously unresolved issues can be
explained by the solid evidence of linguistic research and historical backgrounds. A specific ceremony
can associate a traveler with specific time and place, which provides clues for Marco Polo and
Odorico’s trackway in China. The travelogues of Marco Polo and Odorico da Pordenone actively
promoted the images of Yuan China in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
元代蒙古传统的祭天仪式分为主格黎、洒马湩两种。以竿悬肉的主格黎祭祀，是蒙古最古老的祭祀。金朝拜天与主格黎仪式有类似之处，因此被木华黎接受。至元九年（1275）中书省革去金朝拜天遗制，是规范地方官方祭祀活动，但相关的射柳击毬风尚继续留存。洒马湩是蒙元时期最高级别的国家祭祀，形成于成吉思汗时期，每年在两个时节举行。六月二十四日洒马妳子，是元中后期出现的一种特殊的祭祀，是蒙古、汉文化交融的结果。
元代将各宗教的祈福仪式、郊祀都视为祭天仪式，一些蒙古人参与并影响了郊祀。蒙元时期蒙古人的各种祭天仪式体现出复杂性和多元文化交融的特点。
Sala Scattola
Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari
Piazzetta Folena 1 – Padova
the experience of the Minor friar Odoric of Pordenone (Pordenone, 1260 ca. – Udine 1331), who set out for the East in 1318, spent three years at the Khan’s court in Dadu (modern Beijing), and collected his memories in an important travel account in 1330. In order to promote a fruitful interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue, the initiative will involve the participation of researchers from different fields and traditions, among them a large team of Chinese scholars from the universities of Beijing
and Nankai.
in Marco Polo’s time
CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE – UNIVERSITÀ CATTOLICA
DEL SACRO CUORE
DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTIC SCIENCES
AND FOREIGN LITERATURES
24th-25th October 2018
Università Cattolica
del Sacro Cuore
Largo A. Gemelli, 1 - Milano