7 Famous Explorers Whose Discoveries Changed the World改變世界的七位著名探險家

卡羅琳·雷德蒙

The story of human exploration is as old as the story of civilisation， and many of the stories of these explorers have become legends over the cen-turies. From Christopher Columbus to Marco Polo， lets take a look at these celebrated explorers who made groundbreaking discoveries across the globe.

人類探險的歷史與人類文明發展的歷史一樣久，幾個世紀以來，這些探險家的許多故事已經成為傳奇。從克里斯托弗·哥倫布到馬可·波羅，讓我們來了解世界各地有開創性發現的著名探險家。

Marco Polo （1254–1324）

馬可·波羅（1254—1324）

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo， which describes his voyage to and experiences in Asia. Polo traveled extensively with his family， journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295， remaining in China for 17 of those years. As the years wore on， Polo rose through the ranks， serving as governor of a Chinese city. Later， Kublai Khan appointed him as an official of the Privy Council. At one point， he was the tax inspector in the city of Yanzhou.

馬可·波羅是一位威尼斯探險家，以《馬可·波羅游記》著稱，這本書描寫了他東行亞洲的見聞。自1271年至1295年，馬可·波羅攜全家從歐洲一路行至亞洲，游歷各地，其中有17年在中國居留。歲月如梭，馬可·波羅步步高升，在中國一座城市擔任地方官，之后忽必烈大汗任命他為樞密院官員。還有一段時間，他在兗州任稅務督察。

Around 1292， he left China， acting as consort along the way to a Mongol princess who was being sent to Persia1. In the centuries since his death， Polo has received the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. So much of what he claimed to have seen has been verified by researchers， academics and other explorers. Even if his accounts came from other travelers he met along the way， Polos story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world.

馬可·波羅在1292年左右離開了中國，護送要去波斯成婚的一位蒙古公主。在馬可·波羅逝后的幾個世紀里，他得到了生前沒能得到的認可。研究人員、學者和其他探險家們證實了馬可·波羅著述中自稱看到的很多事物。即使他的記述來自沿途所遇其他旅人，他的故事還是激勵了無數探險家開啟探索世界之旅。

Zheng He （c. 1371–1433）

鄭和（約1371—1433）

Known as the Three-Jewel Eunuch Admiral， Zheng He was Chinas greatest explorer. Commanding the worlds mightiest fleet of 300 ships and as many as 30，000 troops， Admiral Zheng made 7 epic voyages to southeast Asia， south Asia， the Middle East and Africa between 1405 and 1433. Setting sail aboard his “treasure ships2”， he would exchange valuable goods such as gold， porcelain and silk for ivory， myrrh3 and even Chinas first giraffe. The voyages helped spread Chinas culture and influence throughout Southeast Asia， Arabia， and eastern Africa.

鄭和是中國最偉大的探險家，世稱“三寶太監”海軍統帥。1405年到1433年間，鄭和率領當時世界上最強大的艦隊——海船300艘，水師人數多達3萬——完成了七下西洋的航海壯舉，航行至東南亞、南亞、中東和非洲。鄭和登上“寶船”揚帆起航，沿途用黃金、瓷器和絲綢等貴重物品交換象牙、沒藥，乃至中國的第一只長頸鹿。這七次遠航在東南亞、阿拉伯和東非傳播了中國文化，增強了中國在這些地區的影響力。

Christopher Columbus （1451–1506）

克里斯托弗·哥倫……