Latter-day Marco Polo relishes his 'lucky exploration'

Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.

Alessandro Martini has spent about eight years in China, a sojourn he often compares to that of his compatriot Marco Polo, the Italian who lifted the veil from China for the West.

Polo, the 700th anniversary of whose death was marked in January, was drawn to the Orient by his father, uncle and the scent of commercial opportunities. Martini was drawn to China for more cerebral reasons, a fascination with the Chinese language.