Polo descendant eyes China's future

Siro Polo Padolecchia is the only living descendant of Marco Polo (1245-1324), the Venetian traveler and merchant whose book, The Travels of Marco Polo, provided Europeans with the first descriptions of China.

Padolecchia, who lives in Monaco, retains close contacts with China, where he lived from age 8 to 11 as a result of his father's business interests in the country.

In an email exchange with China Daily, he recalled that as a child he had been eager to discover the country, but he also feared he would not understand the language, culture or humor.