2 points
What development, which began before the passage above was written,
allowed Europeans to obtain the products of East Asia?*
"Hangzhou, China, has) ten principal markets.... [They are all squares of
half a mile to the side, and along their front passes the main street, which is
40 paces in width, and runs straight from end to end of the city, crossing many
bridges of easy and commodious [convenient) approach. ... So also parallel
to this great street, but at the back of the market places, there runs a very large
canal, on the bank of which towards the squares are built great houses of stone,
in which the merchants from India and other foreign parts store their wares, to
be handy for the markets. In each of the squares is held a market three days in
the week, frequented by 40,000 or 50,000 persons."
Marco Polo, The Travels of Marco Polo, c. 1300
O
The Tang Dynasty expended into the Middle East, so the trade routes between Europe
and Africa were under one ruler,
O
Chinese dynasties, such as the Tang and the Song, grew stronger, so long-distance
trade could be conducted with less risk.
О
With the defeat of the Islamic caliphates, Europeans were able to establish direct
contact with the Tang and the Song dynasties,
New maritime technology allowed for ocean-going ships to establish trade routes
from Asia to Europe via Southern Africa,