Lesson 4: On the Road with Marco Polo: Crossing the Deserts of China

NCSS.D2.His.1.6-8. Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.

NCSS.D2.His.2.6-8. Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity.

NCSS.D2.His.3.6-8. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.

NCSS.D2.His.4.6-8. Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.

NCSS.D2.His.5.6-8. Explain how and why perspectives of people have changed over time.

NCSS.D2.His.14.6-8. Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past.

NCSS.D2.His.15.6-8. Evaluate the relative influence of various causes of events and developments in the past. 

NCSS.D2.His.16.6-8. Organize applicable evidence into a coherent argument about the past.

Activity 1. Crossing the Deserts of China

After resting up and replenishing their supplies in the trading city of Kashgar, Marco Polo and his father and uncle continued eastward on their journey from Venice to China. They had some difficult times ahead.

• Access Topography of Eastern Asia available through Asia Source. Have the students find Kashgar. Ask what lies between Kashgar and Beijing? (Two vast deserts—the Taklimakan and the Gobi—both bounded by mountain ranges.)
• Go to Largest Deserts of the World available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet Public Library. Find the Gobi and Taklimakan (also written Takla Makan). Have the students locate these deserts (and perhaps some of the others listed) on the classroom map of the world.

The Taklimakan is Asia's driest desert, a vast expanse of pebbles and sifting sands nestled between two mountain ranges. The Polos chose a route that skirted the southern edge of the desert, trudging through the arid landscape from one oasis to the next. Each oasis was a welcome haven, offering fresh water, food supplies, and pack animals. Some of these stopping places were famous for fresh fruits, such as melons and grapes—a great treat for the weary travelers whose diets consisted mostly of hard bread, cheese, salted meat, and water. Today, a few of the ancient oases offer welcome relief to hot and thirsty tourists.

• Access Taklimakan available through Internet Public Library. Think about the difficulties of crossing such a desert. No wonder merchants chose to skirt this vast wasteland, choosing between routes going to the north and to the south of it.
• Now access Where the Gobi meets the Taklimakan available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Asia Source. A modern photograph shows that the Taklimakan is still a desolate place.
• Go to Photographs of Silk Road Photo Gallery available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Asia Source. Click on the images of the terrain and inhabitants of the Taklimakan region to enlarge them.

Guiding Questions for Discussion:

• How would you describe the geography of the Taklimakan?
• What was (and is) the best way to travel from one end of the desert to the other?
• How do some of the local inhabitants make a living?

At the eastern edge of the Taklimakan lay the city of Dunhuang, long famous for its Buddhist temples, statues, and paintings.

Learn about the ancient city of Dunhuang by accessing the following links.

• Silk Road available through Asia Source. On the left margin scroll down to maps, then trade routes, then China 3. With a cursor, follow the route from Kashgar to Dunhuang. Find the major mountain ranges on this map (the Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Tien Shan, Karakoram, and the Himalayas).
• Dunhuang

Guiding Questions for Discussion:

• Where is Dunhuang?
• What type of art and architecture can be seen there?
• What factors led to Dunhuang becoming an important center of religious art?

Most people associate desert crossings with camels, and rightly so. The merchants who transported goods across the Taklimakan and the Gobi would have been in a bad way without their sturdy, resilient camels—the “ships of the desert.”

Access the following sites about camels and study the texts and images:

• Bactrian camel 
• Camels in the Taklimakan 
• Camels available 
• Camel convoy 
• Camel and donkey 

Guiding Questions for Discussion:

• What has long been the major means of transporting goods (and people) across the Taklimakan?
• What physical characteristics enable the camel to withstand the harsh environment of the desert?
• What is the purpose of the bells used by the camel drivers?
• How would you describe the personality of a camel?

From Dunhuang, the Polos set out across the Gobi, Asia's largest desert. For over a month they trekked through this harsh wasteland. Marco described how travelers in the Gobi were often plagued by strange mirages (phantom figures of friends in the distance) or frightening sounds (weird murmuring or repetitive drumbeats). Such illusions were caused by the intensity of the sun, the lack of water, and the seemingly endless stretches of the "unfriendly" landscapes.

• Access Gobi Desert available through Internet Public Library. Compare the geography of the Gobi to that of the Taklimakan.
• View modern photographs of the Gobi by accessing China's Unknown Gobi.
• Return to the map entitled China 3. Find the Gobi Desert. What modern country does most of this desert belong to? Find Beijing—the final destination of Marco Polo.

Guiding Questions for Discussion:

• How does the Gobi compare to the Taklimakan?
• What were some of the psychological challenges posed to travelers by the natural environment of the Gobi?

Divide the class into groups of three. Have each group select a desert—the Taklimakan or the Gobi—and then make a poster, referring to the websites visited in this lesson. The posters can be illustrated by images downloaded, by images cut from magazines, or by original drawings.

Selected EDSITEment Websites

Asia Source

• Topography of Eastern Asia
• Silk Road
• Dunhuang
• Where the Gobi meets the Taklamakan
• Go to Photographs of Silk Road Photo Gallery

Internet Public Library

• Taklimakan
• Bactrian camel
• Camels in the Taklamakan
• Gobi Desert

Xpeditions

• China's Unknown Gobi
• Camel convoy
• Silk Road