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Merchants ranked above scholars
Merchants Rise
The Mongols could produce little at home and depended on trade. In the Chinese world merchants were ranked very low, and he moved them above scholars. A merchant paid the national tax once and was not taxed again in every new town. Rest houses along the routes offered fresh horses and food, a place to deposit money and get paper receipts, and, where a stretch was dangerous, a squad of men and horses to travel with them.
Ögedei's Generosity
His son Ögedei Khan took it further. Merchants would ask outrageous prices, expecting to be bargained down, and the Mongols paid them even more than they asked. When a Muslim financial advisor told him to stop, Ögedei asked where the money would go, since it was still in his empire and would come back eventually.
East Meets West
Travelers could now cross the whole continent, a trip of two years, and come back safe. Marco Polo went to China and back with his goods safe the whole way, never harassed, and returned with tremendous wealth. There is no well-documented case of anyone from China visiting Europe, or the reverse, before the Mongols, and since Genghis Khan there has not been a year without contact between East and West.
Why did Chinese rank merchants so low?
Confucian thought divided society into four classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Merchants came last because they produced nothing themselves and were seen as profiting from others' work. This ranking shaped Chinese law and taxation for centuries. Mongol rulers broke from it by placing merchants above scholars.
How did a golden tablet protect travelers?
The Mongols issued metal tablets called paiza to officials, envoys, and some merchants. A tablet entitled its holder to horses, food, and lodging at the relay stations. The grade of the tablet, gold or silver, showed how much authority its holder carried. Marco Polo wrote that his family received one before traveling to Kublai Khan's court.
How did Kublai Khan's paper money work?
Kublai's government issued paper notes called chao in the 1260s. The notes were backed by silver and silk reserves at first, and taxes were payable in them. Marco Polo marveled that bark paper stamped with the khan's seal passed as money across the empire. Later issues were printed in such quantity that the notes lost value.
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