East Meets West,

The Epic Journeys of Marco Polo and Zheng He: One Belt, One Road

Having traveled the world for National Geographic over the past 30 years, award-winning photographer Michael Yamashita has a special affinity for trailblazers such as Marco Polo and Zheng He. Please join us for his talk on following the 13th century footsteps of Marco Polo — from Venice to the Far East – and of Chinese admiral Zheng He, whose 300-ship fleet made seven voyages on the maritime Silk Road in the 15^th century, 100 years before Europe’s great age of exploration. Against the backdrop of Beijing’s current Belt and Road initiative — which retraces some of the journeys of Marco Polo and Zheng He — Yamashita will present a photographic historical narrative of the travels of these two men, both modern thinkers well ahead of their times.

WHAT: “JOURNEYS OF MARCO POLO AND ZHENG HE” by U.S. photographer Michael Yamashita
WHEN: Nov. 8, Wednesday 19:00 to 20:30 PM
WHERE: The British House, Blg 4, Beijing Fun, Xiheyan St., Dashilar tel: 64612122   英园北京市西城区大栅栏西河沿街北京坊四号楼【LINK www.thebritishhouse.com.cn]
HOW MUCH: RMB 50 for RASBJ members, Yale Club members, Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center volunteers; RMB 100 for others

RSVP: email communications.ras.bj@gmail.com by Nov. 5 and write “Yamashita” in the subject header. Please say how many seats you’d like and for whom (full names please). Due to limited space, RASBJ members, Yale Club members and CHP volunteers will enjoy priority (maximum two places each) and seats will be reserved in order of receipt of your RSVP.

NOTE: The talk will be held in the British House tearoom, which serves afternoon tea, beverages, and dinner until 10 PM; if you wish to dine there after the talk, at your own expense, please order beforehand by phone or before the event.

RASBJ wishes to thank co-sponsors Courtyard Institute,  Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, the Yale Club, the British House, and Guangan Holdings/Beijing-Dashilar-Liulichang Cultural Development Ltd.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Photographer Michael Yamashita was born in San Francisco in 1949, and began working for National Geographic in 1979. Since then he’s traveled widely,  from Somalia to Sudan, from U.K. to Papua New Guinea. He’s specialized in Asia for the past decade, and is the author of more than nine photographic books such as Zheng He: Tracing the Epic Voyages of China’s Greatest Explorer, Japan: The Soul of a Nation, and Marco Polo, A Photographer’s Journey. Yamashita has won numerous awards from the National Press Photographers Association and the Asian American Journalists Association.