By luck they met an ambassador in Bukhara who was going to visit the great Mongol ruler of China, Kubla Khan. The ambassador agreed to take the two men to China to meet the Khan. In 1264 the Polos arrived at Kublai Khan’s palace in Khanbaliq, or modern-day Beijing. It was now eleven years since they first left Venice.
Later in the Description of the World Marco talked about this famous meeting between the Polos and Kublai Khan. We learn that the great ruler was very interested to hear about the rest of the world. He asked the brothers about the Pope, the Christian church, and the different rulers in Europe.
The Khan liked Niccolo and Maffeo . the brothers traded in China for two years and learned to speak the Mongol language well. But in the end they wanted to return home. Kublai Khan agreed, and he gave the two men a beautiful gold passport. With this they could travel freely in the larger Mongol Empire and always get food and a place to sleep along the road.