CMG program explores Marco Polo's legacy from "Mr. Million" to porcelain in Europe

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A special episode of "Harmony in Diversity", a cultural exchange program co-produced by CMG and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, explored the lasting impact of Italian explorer Marco Polo on cultural exchange between the East and West, especially his role in introducing porcelain to Europe.   The episode, aired on March 15, featured a discussion with tenor Wang Kai, who portrayed Marco Polo in the Chinese opera "Marco Polo", Italian mezzo-soprano Valentina Volpe, and Wen Zheng, professor of Italian at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

The three were visiting the exhibition "A Journey of Knowledge: The Travels of Marco Polo and Its Legacy Between East and West", which commemorated the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death in China last year.

The exhibition, which includes a timeline depicting key events in Venice's history from the 13th to 17th centuries, also highlights how Polo's memoirs, "The Travels of Marco Polo", contributed to a greater understanding of Asia in Europe.

On display are antique porcelain artifacts, including Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) pieces, underscoring Polo's significant role in the East-West cultural exchange.   Wen opened the conversation by discussing the significance of porcelain in the context of the Silk Road.   "Since the time of Marco Polo, many have shared stories of the East, and those porcelains have come to symbolize the East. We often speak of the Silk Road, but in many respects, it is porcelain that truly traveled along it," Wen explained.

Volpe, reflecting on Marco Polo's influence, noted: "If I'm not mistaken, the word 'porcelain' was translated into Italian by Marco Polo from Chinese, making him the one who introduced this term. Once these Eastern treasures reached Europe, some began circulating in European and Italian markets. In Italy, we refer to them as 'porcelain'. We owe this word to Marco Polo."

"Indeed, even this term was brought to us by Marco Polo. It wasn't just the porcelain; the very word 'porcelain' itself may have been introduced by him," Wen added.

The conversation also touched on Marco Polo's nickname, "Mr. Million".

"After returning from China to Venice, he often shared his extraordinary experiences in the East. However, some of the magnificent and rich experiences he encountered were so beyond his vocabulary that he would frequently say 'a million, a million' to convey their grandeur. Over time, people started calling him 'Mr. Million'," Wen explained.   Wen also noted that the true origin of the nickname could be traced to Polo's family name.   "Of course, this is more of a popular legend. The true reason for the nickname 'Million' lies in his family name, which bore a homophone to 'Milione', meaning 'million'," Wen said.

The conversation also highlighted Polo's connection to Venice. Volpe pointed out: "In Venice, there's a place known as the 'Palazzo Milione', which is Marco Polo's former residence."

The episode wrapped up by focusing on Polo's travels in China, with Wang Kai recalling his role in the opera "Marco Polo", commissioned by Guangzhou Opera House.   "Yes, and Professor Wen, I remember when I portrayed Marco Polo in the opera, I was assigned to Hangzhou, which was called Lin'an at the time," Wang noted.

Wen explained that Hangzhou, favored by Kublai Khan, was once known as "Xingzai" in Marco Polo's time.   "It was indeed called Lin'an. Yes, Kublai Khan was particularly fond of Hangzhou, so he built his palace there. In 'The Travels of Marco Polo', we find that Hangzhou wasn't referred to as Hangzhou; it was known as 'Xingzai'," Wen explained.

The program provided an insightful exploration of Marco Polo's legacy, shedding light on his contributions to the exchange of ideas, culture, and language between East and West.

CMG program explores Marco Polo's legacy from "Mr. Million" to porcelain in Europe

South African investment analysts and mining industry insiders are betting that the country's position as a leading producer of platinum group metals (PGMs), which are widely used in hydrogen, fuel cell and emissions reduction technologies, will offset the pain inflicted by U.S. tariffs targeting other South African exports.

As part of the Trump administration's tariff policy, all South African goods entering the U.S. are now subject to a 30-percent duty, with a specific 25-percent tariff imposed on vehicles and car parts. However, key mineral exports such as PGMs, coal, gold, manganese and chrome have been explicitly excluded from these new tariffs.

Platinum, together with other critical minerals like palladium and rhodium, is used to make auto catalysts for vehicle exhausts.

Robbie Proctor, an investment analyst with Anchor Capital in South Africa, observed that the United States may be able to source other critical minerals like palladium, but America does not have an alternative market for platinum other than South Africa.

"With the amount of recycled volumes of palladium that come into the market there, they actually could be almost self-sufficient in palladium. However, there is no chance of them being self-sufficient in platinum, regardless of how much investment goes in. Does the U.S. have an alternative market for platinum? The answer is a definite no," Proctor told China Global Television Network (CGTN) in an interview.

The exclusion of PGMs from the new U.S. tariff regime was widely anticipated by South Africa's mining industry, because without the commodity, America's automotive industry would not be able to manufacture catalytic converters and other component parts.

"The U.S. is a very big automotive sector. It's only second to China in terms of size and so, it's a big sector. And PGMs are a critical part of the catalytic converter exhaust management systems which are there to clean the air. And so, palladium and rhodium and obviously platinum are very important in those particular processes," said Roger Baxter, executive chairman of Southern Palladium, a key play in South Africa's exploration and development of PGMs.

South Africa's Sibanye Stillwater is one of the world's largest producers of PGMs and has operations in the U.S. The company sees opportunity in the turmoil.

"Having that footprint in the U.S. is for us strategically important, because I think a lot of this is about securing supply for the U.S. in terms of critical metals, self-generated, self-mined, self-developed," said Richard Stewart, chief regional officer of Africa at Sibanye Stillwater.

To Craig Miller, CEO of Anglo American Platinum, it is essential that South Africa's mining industry shift to the development of clean energy technologies going forward as the world quickly transitions away from internal combustion engines.

"We produce metals and we sell them globally, both to Europe, to China, to Japan, and to the U.S., but as a company, we are really focused around the future uses of PGMs as well, so actively looking at market development, and that market development is really in the form of new energy and in hydrogen," he said.

Others in the mining industry see a bright future for platinum jewelry, as the rare metal has become the metal of choice for South African jewelry designers due to its durability and resiliency, especially in the uncertain global trade environment.

"We've seen platinum ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) are similar to gold. But I think this is where there's an opportunity to do a lot more work on the demand side to increase the opportunities for investment and demand in platinum," said Mzila Mthenjane, CEO of Minerals Council South Africa.

S Africa expected to withstand shock from US tariffs as world's leading platinum producer