Which effect did Marco Polo's The Travels of Marco Polo have on East Asia and Southeast Asia?

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer who had a great impact of the area of what is known now modern China. Also, he explored areas in the East such as Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India.

The effects that Marco Polo have on East Asia and Southeast Asia were numerous but principally, he was able to allow this region to experience Western culture and vise versa. In short, he brought Western culture to the East and Eastern culture to the West.

Although, Marco Polo was not able to bring much westernization to China himself, he awoke a desire to future Europeans to engage in Eastern interactions.

Venetian explorer, Marco Polo, told his cellmate during his imprisonment after the Venetian-Genoese War about his travels to the Far East. These accounts became a book, later entitled "The Travels of Marco Polo" which was influential in sparking people's curiosity of the East.

The first impact was that Marco Polo was able to bring elements of Western culture to the East and Eastern culture back to the West. Because of his exploration Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and India, China began to experience Western culture.

Next, Marco Polo's interactions with Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan led to commercial exchange with Western merchants who were now arriving in China. This increased Chinese's growth as a civilization.

The Silk Road, an easier route to travel around the Gobi Desert, traced by the Polos had a huge effect in the future of European and Chinese interaction. It would prove to be a more effective route than to sail the oceans to China.