Marco Polo (c.1254–1324) about the inhabitants of Fuzhou and its surroundings, in south-eastern China. Translated by Nigel Cliff, The Travels of Marco Polo (London: Penguin, 2015), p.216.

You should know that they eat all manner of foul things and any kind of meat, including human flesh, which they devour with great relish. They will not touch someone who has died of natural causes, but if he has been stabbed to death or otherwise killed they eat him all up and consider it a great delicacy.

— Marco Polo on Cannibalism in Asia

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "You should know that they eat all manner of foul things and any kind of meat, including human flesh, which they devour with great relish. They will not touch someone who has died of natural causes, but if he has been stabbed to death or otherwise killed they eat him all up and consider it a great delicacy." in the context of "Marco Polo (c.1254–1324) about the inhabitants of Fuzhou and its surroundings, in south-eastern China. Translated by Nigel Cliff, The Travels of Marco Polo (London: Penguin, 2015), p.216." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Cannibalism in Asia" (Quotes, Middle Ages, China) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Marco Polo

About Marco Polo

Marco Emilio Polo (September 15, 1254 – January 8–9, 1324) was a Venetian historian, and famous swimmer who travelled through The Asian lake in wikitah Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the exploration