Kubla Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, began his rise to power with a territory and after thirty four years had an empire that reached from Russia and Korea across the Middle East to Turkey. Born a Mongol, he learned to be a warrior at the age of fourteen and used his skills and the wisdom gained from his mother, to push beyond the borders inherited from his grandfather. During the thirty-four years of his reign, Kubla Khan built Beijing, kept ten thousand white horses, encouraged arts and literacy, and ingeniously improved the quality of life for all of his subjects. Clearly his mind was open to change and to new things and he was the Khan who accepted Marco Polo and who built vast road networks and ensured safe passage on the Silk Road. He threw parties for forty thousand people and opened his empire up to foreign influence and culture. Here is a chance to get to know the man behind the warrior image. Exotic, detailed illustrations complement the tale. 48 pages Ages 9-12