As one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China, Marco Polo is perhaps the most well-known foreign merchant and voyager to the Chinese people. He traveled extensively (广泛地) with his family, journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295. He remained in China for 17 of those years. His book The Travels of Marco Polo depicts his journeys throughout Asia, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into the Far East, including China, India, and Japan. From his written accounts the Westerners learned of porcelain, coal, gunpowder, printing, paper money, and silk for the first time. The wealth of new geographic information recorded by Polo was widely used in the late 15th and the 16th centuries during the age of the European voyages of discovery and conquest (征服). In the centuries since his death, Marco Polo has received the recognition that failed to come his way during his lifetime. Marco Polo's story has inspired countless other adventurers to set off and see the world.

郑和是中国历史上最著名的航海家（maritime explorer）。公元1405 年，明朝的统治者为了稳固边防（border defense）和开展海上贸易，派郑和下西洋（the Western Seas）。在此后的28 年里，郑和带领船队七下西洋，前后出海的人员有10 多万人，访问了30 多个国家和地区。船队纵横南亚、西亚，一直到非洲大陆。郑和下西洋是世界航海（navigation）史上的壮举，它展现了郑和卓越的航海和组织才能，同时展现了明朝的国力和国威（national strength and prestige），加强了明朝和海外各国之间的关系。