Trade and curiosity have often formed the f    1     of mankind’s greatest a    2    . To complete the great map of the world was a strong p    3     for the people of early civilizations. Marco Polo’s tales inspired European explorers to search for sea r    4     from west to east. However, merchants and e    5     from the East set sail from east to west many years before Columbus first did.

In ancient times, silk from China found its way o    6     to India, the Middle East, and Rome, along what became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also e    7     along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, centered around Ceylon (now Sri Lank) Here, merchants from China and many other places met to n    8     trade deals, which also led to more a    9     of each other’s cultures. Over the centuries, further t    10     allowed more exploration of the regions to the west of China, as recorded in Du Huan’s Record of My Travels in the eighth century.