Marco Polo International Programme
The Marco Polo International Programme
In 2024, the year marking the 700th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s great explorers, Marco Polo, the University of Warwick is proud to partner with 36 global institutions to launch the Marco Polo International Programme.
The Programme champions the power, importance and impact of cultural interaction, engagement and discovery – both in the past and in the present – and underlines Warwick’s ongoing commitment to creating connections across cultures and across the globe.
As part of the Marco Polo International Programme, Warwick academics, in conjunction with our European, Singaporean and Chinese partners, are involved in:
- the rediscovery, restoration and public display of 14th century records of Venetian travellers in India;
- the high-resolution scanning and interdisciplinary study of textiles, ceramics and lacquerware to aid our understanding of goods that travelled across the Silks Roads culminating in a series of virtual and physical exhibitions across the globe;
- the first-ever digitisation of the writings of the Islamic traveller Ibn Battuta as he explored around Africa and Asia;
- a deep dive into the worlds and cultures, which Marco Polo travelled through;
- the uncovering of the views of modern travellers to China during key moments of 20th century Chinese history;
- as well as a wider re-examination of what is at stake in travel writing – in the past and today.
At the same time our students – and those from a wide number of our global University partners – will be developing their own skills in global engagement by taking part in Warwick’s International Conference of Undergraduate Research, as well as celebrating their similarities and differences on our campus through our Global Celebrations ‘One World Week’ and International Students Day programme.
And together with our local communities, we are celebrating the global cultures of Coventry through Warwick’s Resonate Festival of Arts and World Cultures, as well as coming together to celebrate the Flame of Friendship, created by Warwick working in conjunction with Coventry schools in honour of the upcoming Olympics.
I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been involved in making the Marco Polo International Programme a reality in Warwick, Venice and across our global partners.
Prof Michael Scott
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), University of Warwick, UK.
Get Involved
Marco Polo Summer School
Students from China, Warwick and around the globe will be gathering at the Warwick Venice Centre for a summer school focused around the theme of Marco Polo and the Silks Roads. The project is led by Dr Milija Gluhovic (Theatre and Performance Studies Department, University of Warwick) and developed as one of the EUTOPIA Connected Community Education projects.
One World Week
Join us across the Warwick UK Campus for a student-led celebration of One World Week and the global cultures that make up our community, co-ordinated as part of the University's Global Celebrations Programme. This week-long celebration will culminate in a celebration of International Students Day on 17th November. More details of events coming soon!
Marco Polo: Antecedents, History and Legacy
Ca Foscari University (Venice, Italy), Fudan University (Shanghai) and University of Warwick - alongside other global institutions - are participating in the opening of a new exhibition on Marco Polo at Shanghai Museum and a conference 'Marco Polo: Antecedents, History and Legacy' at Fudan University.
The Traveller's Tale: Global Forms and Circulations
Warwick's Global History and Culture Centre will convene a special conference with speakers from around the world on the art and science of telling stories about travel - through time and across the globe.
Latest Marco Polo News and Stories
Warwick restores unique historical Venetian document
A collaborative project setup by Dr Luca Mola, University of Warwick, between the Venetian State Archives and the Museum of Asian Art in Venice will aim to restore and re-evaluate an important testimony on the Venetian merchants who followed in the steps of Marco Polo in the decade after his death
Talk to a virtual Marco Polo
Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence technology to create a virtual image of Marco Polo that can engage in natural conversations with users, providing historical information, cultural interpretations, and educational answers
Participating Institutions
The University of Warwick is delighted to partner with 36 institutions on the Marco Polo International Programme.
Monash University, Australia and Malaysia
University of New South Wales, Australia
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
University of Calgary, Canada
Concordia University, Canada
Chinese academy of social sciences, China
Fudan University, China
Hangzou Normal University, China
Lanzhou University, China
Nanjing University, China
Nankai University, China
Peking University, China
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Shanghai University, China
Shannxi Normal University, China
Tsinghua University, China
Zhejiang University, China
Croatian academy of sciences and arts, Croatia
Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
University of Oldenburg, Germany
University of Szeged, Hungary
Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Pompeu Fabra University, Spain
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Bursa University, Turkey
Istanbul University, Turkey
University of Leeds, UK
University of Sheffield, UK
Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Columbia University, USA
Cornell University, USA
Middle Tennessee State University, USA
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA