Khubilai Khan Greeting the Polo Brothers
Livre des merveilles, Biblioteque nationale de France, Paris

The Polo Brothers Reach China

Marco Polo's father Niccolò and his uncle Matteo reached Khubilai Khan's court in late 1265 or early 1266.

According to Marco Polo's account, Khubilai seemed intrigued by his visitors and inquired about their monarchs, their system of justice, and Christianity. On their departure, Khubilai asked them to return with 100 learned Christians to assist in the conversion of his subjects to Christianity. Though Khubilai's mother Sorghaghtani Beki was a Nestorian Christian, it appears that he was more interested in recruiting learned and skilled administrators to help him rule his domain in China.

In this Western depiction of Khubilai greeting the brothers Niccolò and Matteo, the Mongol emperor appears as a Caucasian-European monarch.

On the question of whether Marco Polo really ever reached China:
"Did Marco Polo Really Go To China?" by Morris Rossabi