在中国，马可波罗看到了很多西方人梦寐以求的中国商品，那这些商品里面，哪一种是最有代表性的呢？当然是丝绸了！
In China, Marco Polo saw many Chinese goods that people in other countries could only dream of. Which of these commodities was the most symbolic? Silk, of course!
在这里您可以看到一间绸缎铺，里面有绫、罗、绸、缎；锦、绢、绮、绉；绒、纱、纻、绡；纨、缣、糓、缟等大大小小十几个种类的丝绸制品。中国的丝绸不仅多，而且质地柔滑、轻薄透气，外国人非常喜欢。但是丝绸技术长期被咱们中国人垄断，外国人不知道丝绸是怎么制作出来的，甚至还以为丝线是树上长出来的。所以在当时，外国人想要穿丝绸，就只能花高价钱从中国进口，丝绸也就成为了财富和权力的象征。
Here is a silk shop, which displays a variety of silk products including ling, luo, chou, duan, jin, juan, qi, zhou, rong, sha, zhu, xiao, wan, jian, gu, and gao. Chinese silk was not only abundant in quantity, but also soft, light, and breathable, winning over foreigners. As China had long monopolized the silk trade, foreigners had no idea how silk was made, even believing that silk threads grew on trees. At the time, if foreigners wanted to wear silk, they could only import it from China at a high price, which made silk a symbol of wealth and power.
在绸缎铺后面的红色展墙上，我们可以看到两位著名的历史人物——凯撒大帝和埃及艳后，他们俩都对丝绸情有独钟。据说有一次，凯撒大帝穿了一身丝绸长袍去看戏，他一到剧场，观众们都忘了看戏，全都把目光放在他穿的丝绸上了。另外在展墙右边有一幅少女画像，她是庞贝壁画中的花神，您仔细看，她身上穿的就是轻薄透明的丝绸。
On the red exhibition wall behind the silk shop, we can see two celebrated historical figures–Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, both of whom held a special liking for silk. Rumors abounded about that Julius Caesar once wore a silk robe to watch plays and distracted the audience because of his luxurious silk robe as soon as he arrived at the theater. On the right side of the exhibition wall is a portrait of a young girl, the goddess of flowers in Pompeii’s Frescoes. Look closely. She is wearing light and transparent silk.
丝绸虽然是中国人的发明创造，但是一些花纹和织造方法，也受到了西方的很多影响，比如在左边的展板上，您可以看到很多丝绸上的纹饰，这些纹饰其实都是外来的。所以，丝绸不仅是东西方贸易的见证者，也是东西方文化交流的重要佐证。
Although silk was invented by the Chinese people, its patterns and weaving methods were influenced by foreign regions. For instance, many silk patterns in the left display panel actually derived from foreign lands. Therefore, silk is not only a witness of trade between China and Europe, but also important proof of cultural exchanges.
看完了丝绸，马可波罗还要见识一下另一种中国特产——纸。接下来，就请您前往南纸坊。
After seeing all these silk products, Marco Polo might also be interested in another Chinese specialty–paper. Let’s head to the Paper Workshop.
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