by Li Yu in 1318 when he was 74,
now in Guangzhou Gallery of Art

ABOUT THE DYNASTY

Genghis Khan (1162-1227), the Mongol conqueror, united the Mongol tribes, annexed northern China, central Asia, Iran, southern Russia, eastern Europe and created the largest empire in history.  In 1279 Kublai Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, exterminated Song and established the Yuan dynasty with its capital in Beijing.  This is the first alien regime to rule China.  Kublai Khan kept Chinese government institutions intact, continued the Confucian ideology and restored the civil service examination.  He also facilitated commercial and cultural exchanges between China and the outside world.  Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant, spent 20 years in China (1275-1295).  His travelogue was the only account of the Far East available to Europeans until the 17th century.

MORE

- MET, Metropolitan Museum of Art

- Genghis Khan: Rise of the Conqueror, DVD at Discovery Channel