While he didn't invent the name "Hangzhou", his vivid descriptions of the city's beauty, bustling markets, and thriving industries, including silk production and the Grand Canal, introduced Hangzhou to the European world.
Other notable Europeans who visited Hangzhou and left accounts of their experiences include:
* Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, a Franciscan friar who traveled to the Mongol court in the 13th century and passed through Hangzhou.
* William of Rubruck, another Franciscan friar who traveled to the Mongol court in the 13th century and also described Hangzhou.
* Odoric of Pordenone, an Italian Franciscan friar who traveled to the East in the 14th century and also described Hangzhou.
These early European travelers, along with Marco Polo, played a crucial role in introducing Hangzhou to the West and contributing to the growing interest in the Far East during the Middle Ages.