1、 The Chronicle of Marco Polo records that the "Four Elephant Wooden Towers" are elephant sedan chairs

This article explores the record in "The Travels of Marco Polo" about Kublai Khan riding on the Four Elephant Wooden Towers, revealing the importance attached to elephants in the Yuan Dynasty and Kublai Khan's riding on elephant horses. Scholars have studied the origin, use, and cultural connotations of elephant maps and elephants in the Yuan Dynasty from different perspectives. Although Marco Polo did not specify the form of Kublai Khan's four elephant wooden towers, it is speculated through Chinese historical materials and elephant maps from Southeast Asian countries that Kublai Khan may have been riding in a carriage or saddle with an elephant back. At the same time, records of emperors riding elephants in the Yuan Dynasty indicate that the elephant sedan chair was manufactured by Cheng'an Bureau and its shape was not easily changed in later generations.

2、 The riding method of Kublai Khan's sedan chair

Explored the riding method of Kublai Khan's elephant carriage and analyzed that the carriage may have been a giant vehicle dragged by four elephants, rather than carried by a single or multiple elephants. The article cites historical materials such as the "History of the Yuan Dynasty" to describe the luxurious decoration and usage of the elephant sedan chair, including details such as the elephant's saddle and the golden wooden lotus seat. Meanwhile, based on the story of He Sheng guarding Kublai Khan, it can be inferred that the interior space of the elephant carriage is relatively large, and there are guards standing outside the carriage. In addition, the political and cultural significance of the elephant sedan chair in the Yuan Dynasty was discussed, as well as its differences from the Song Dynasty's Five Banners. Finally, the maintenance records of the elephant sedan were mentioned, demonstrating its prestigious status as an exclusive possession of the emperor.

3、 The English translation of "The Travels of Marco Polo" contains an explanation of Kublai Khan's riding on elephants

The English translation of "Marco Polo's Universal Record" by Mu'ad and Boxihe describes the scene of Kublai Khan riding an elephant, mentioning that Kublai Khan was carried by four elephants in a wooden fortress, covered with leather and silk cloth. These descriptions are based on the 13th and 14th century Italian manuscripts F and the Venetian dialect version V. The translator synthesized various versions and recorded Kublai Khan riding four elephants, while on narrow roads, one or two elephants may be used. The R book records three situations: double image, single image, and four image, while the F book only records four images. In the "Annotations on Marco Polo", Bo Xihe mentioned that Kublai Khan sat in an elephant backed sedan chair when he was old and gouty, which corresponds to the records in the "History of the Mongols" and "Records of the Grand Historian". Bo Xihe equated the Four Elephant Wooden Towers with the Elephant Carrying Sedan and determined them to be Kublai Khan's "Elephant Sedan" and Emperor Taiding's "Elephant Chariot" according to the "History of the Yuan Dynasty". The translation by Mu'ad and Boxihe shows that Kublai Khan's sedan chair can be configured in three ways: single elephant, double elephant, and four elephant. However, Boxihe ignored the four elephants in his annotations and only mentioned the sedan chair carried by the single elephant. Bo Xihe's explanation may have been influenced by the way he saw elephants riding in sedan chairs in Vietnam, which differed in form and function from the elephants dragging giant chariots of Kublai Khan's era in Southeast Asia. The elephant carriage riders in Southeast Asia can stand and sit, while the elephant carriage in Kublai Khan's era was a fully enclosed wheeled carriage, which was more stable and could shield against wind, sand, rain, and snow.

4、 Conclusion

During the reign of Kublai Khan, India and Southeast Asia mainly relied on single elephant riding, with royal nobles setting up carriages on the backs of elephants. The connection method of the "Four Elephant Wooden Towers" that Kublai Khan rode on in "The Travels of Marco Polo" is not clear. Boxihe interpreted the Four Elephant Wooden Tower as a single elephant sedan chair. Historical materials and visual documents confirm that Kublai Khan was riding in a giant wheeled vehicle, also known as an elephant sedan, pulled by four elephants. It was stable and safe, reflecting the authority of the Great Khan. The sedan chair became the imperial regulation of the Yuan Dynasty and was inherited by the Ming Dynasty. Kublai Khan's sedan chair is an innovation in the imperial costume system of the Yuan Dynasty and a wonder in the history of elephant riding.