Read by Wang Xiaoyun

The Yuan Dynasty was the first dynasty in Chinese history to have been established by an ethnic minority--the Mongols. Through continuous expansion, the nation accumulated and learned to respect and value the various cultures and religions of different clans and ethnic groups. Cultural interactions and exchanges were strongly encouraged within Asia, but the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty also embraced European and Western cultures. European persons were allowed to be officials in the Yuan Dynasty as well as marry locals. Marco Polo is one such example of an important European official of the Yuan Dynasty. Anchor introduction: Wang Wei, researcher and Doctor of literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Literature, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Sinological Institute of Leiden University, in the Netherlands

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