根据记载，马可波罗是从当时的东方第一大港——泉州出发的，那当时他坐的船是什么样子的呢？在这里，我们可以看到两艘帆船模型，左边的这个，是阿拉伯帆船，右边是中国的帆船。马可波罗回西方，最有可能坐的，就是这两种帆船。我们可以来看看这两种帆船有什么不一样的地方。

　　According to records, Marco Polo departed China from Quanzhou, the largest port in the east at that time. What did this ship look like? Here are two models for reference. The one on the left is an Arabian ship, and the right one is a Chinese ship. Marco Polo most likely took one of these two types of ships back home. So, let’s take a look at the differences between the two ships.

　　首先，中外帆船最大的差异，是在船帆的部分。阿拉伯的船帆，是一块三角形的布，而中国的船帆，是一片长方形的席子。这两种船帆各有优劣，中国的席子船帆造价更便宜，还很安全，不用爬上桅杆就可以把船帆收起来，更重要的是，因为这种船帆很硬，侧面来的风也不会把船帆吹变形，因此可以很方便地利用侧风来航海。而西方的船帆是布做的，很软，对侧风的利用率不高，但是它的受力面积很大，风吹过来的力道也就更大，可以给帆船提供更加强劲的动力。

　　First of all, the biggest difference lies in the sails. The Arabian sails are a triangular piece of cloth, while the Chinese sail is a rectangular bamboo mat. These two types of sails have their own advantages and disadvantages. The bamboo sail is cheaper and safer and can be furled without having anyone climb up the mast. More importantly, because the bamboo sail has a firmer texture, winds blew in from the sides wouldn’t deform it, facilitating the utilization of these winds while sailing. The Arabian sail is made of cloth, which is soft and fails to utilize side winds. However, it has a larger surface area for gathering thrust, so a greater wind force could be exploited to propel the ship.

　　其次，我们可以看看这两艘船船身的形状。阿拉伯船最宽的地方，在船的中部靠前的地方，中国船呢，最宽的地方在中部靠后的地方。打个比方呢，可以说西方的船是鱼的形状，而中国的船有点儿像鸭子之类的水鸟。至于船的外形应该借鉴生活在水下的鱼，还是浮在水上的水鸟，聪明的观众自有判断。

　　Second, these two differ in their hull shapes. The widest part of the Arabian ship is at the front of the midship while that of the Chinese ship is behind the midship. The Arabian ship looks to be shaped like a fish, while the Chinese looks like a waterfowl, like a duck. As for whether a ship should simulate a fish that swims underwater or a waterfowl that swims on the water, you can make your own conclusions.

　　最后，早期中西方的船舵也不一样。大家都知道，船的船舵，一般是在船屁股后面中间的位置。这种舵，我国汉朝时期就已经出现了，到宋朝就已经演变地十分先进了。而西方早期，一般就是在船尾部的右侧，插一根桨来当船舵控制方向，是一种效率很低的船舵。中国的船舵技术在10世纪左右传入了阿拉伯，在13世纪传入了欧洲。美国学者坦布尔曾经说：”如果没有从中国引进船舵等技术……哥伦布也不可能远航到美洲。“

　　Finally, early Chinese and foreign rudders were also different. It’s common practice to install the rudder in the middle of the stern. Rudders first appeared during the Han Dynasty and advanced quite a lot during the Song Dynasty. In the early days, other areas in the world would generally insert an oar on the right side of the stern to function as rudder, which was rather inefficient. Chinese rudder technology was introduced to Arabia in the 10th century and Europe in the 13th century. American scholar Robert K.G. Temple once stated, “Without introducing technologies like the rudder from China... Columbus could not sail to America.”

　　在这里的展板上，您还能看到更多种类的东西方帆船。

　　More ship models are shown in the display panel here.

　　坐什么船已经选好了，接下来马可波罗要去前面，看看这些船是怎么建造的。

　　Since we have chosen our ship, let’s continue on to see how these ships are built.