Did you know?
Marco Polo saw salt used as money in China
In the province he called Caindu, in China's southwest, Polo described salt boiled in moulds and stamped with the Great Khan's mark, then spent as small change. Each cake weighed about half a pound, and 80 of them were worth one saggio of gold; in remoter places, traders could get a saggio for as few as forty.
More salt facts
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Marco polo saw salt used as money in china. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/marco-polo-salt-money
“Marco Polo saw salt used as money in China.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/marco-polo-salt-money. Accessed [today's date].
“Marco Polo saw salt used as money in China.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/marco-polo-salt-money.
Original sources
- Yule, H., trans. The Book of Ser Marco Polo, vol. 2 (notes on salt currency), via Digital Silk Road Project. https://dsr.nii.ac.jp/toyobunko/III-2-F-c-30/V-2/page-hr/0091.html.en
- Mapping the Middle Ages, Dickinson College. Marco Polo in Kaindu. https://blogs.dickinson.edu/mapping-the-middle-ages/?p=757