A series of three one hour films which follow in the footsteps of the most famous adventurer in European history.

In 1271, at the dawn of the modern age, Marco Polo left Venice on a ground-breaking journey to China which would take him 23 years to complete. A Very Modern Journey repeats this journey with a young Marco Polo – through the Middle East and Iran to the deserts of Western China, then Xanadu in Mongolia, the jungles of Yunan – and on finally to the heart of China.

At the same time the Chinese Professor Zhao arrives in Venice to try and find Marco Polo, the enigmatic figure, who some say never existed, or at least never made the journeys. He finds traces of Marco and his significance amidst the canals, libraries and museums of this fabled city.

Each film travels through landscapes of almost incredible beauty, variety and challenge: the films seek the traces of Marco Polo, from Western and Eastern perspectives, exploring the extraordinary refracting mirror that is History across 800 years, as the Middle East continues to be a tinderbox of competing forces, and China once again engages with the world.

This is a story of people not just places. Marco did more than travel through the landscape. He stopped off on the way, lived amongst the people, yearned for their women, observed their lives and customs, and drew meaning from them. The films find these peoples again in Acre and Jerusalem, Hormus and Hangzhou, bringing his and our account alive.

PHOENIX TV & AL JAZEERA

Executive Producers : Angus Macqueen, Shuyun Sun
In association with Eos Films