Kublai Khan - China Under the Yuan Dynasty

A grandson of Genghis, Kublai became the Great Khan in 1260. He moved his capital to Beijing, built the Forbidden City and was ruler of China when Marco Polo paid a visit (then remained in China for seventeen years).

The Yuan Dynasty (that of Genghis Khan and his successors) lasted about one hundred years. Although its rulers supported Chinese culture, they spoke their own language (Mongolian). Devastating floods of the Yellow River led to large-spread famine and helped to cause the Yuan Dynasty’s downfall.

This video clip, from Secrets of the Great Wall, takes us on a virtual journey to China and explains what that country was like during Mongol rule.