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Yuan
1280 - 1365
Pronunciation: "yoo-EN"
Mongol invader Genghis Khan and his hordes conquered much of Asia, including
China; his grandson Kublai Khan established this dynasty, during which the Mongols reopened and expanded overland trade routes linking China, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean. Venetian merchant Marco Polo spent seventeen years exploring this exotic outpost, where he was surprised to discover advances as yet unheard of in Italy. The Yuan exported the first blue-and-white porcelain. And its artists regarded painting as a medium for self-expression, a departure from the "courtly" tradition of previous generations.
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