the route

I sailed south from Venice, Italy, in the Mediterranean Sea to the Middle East. We then went southeast overland to Persia (now Iran), then through the Pamir Mountains and the Gobi Desert, to Beijing, China. We explored the area south of Beijing, including Yunan and Szechuan. Returning to Beijing, We traveled east to Tankchow (at the mouth of the Yangtse River), then south to Hangchow, China. We then sailed south along the coast of China, to what are now Vietnam and Sumatra. We sailed west to Sri Lanka and India, and then back to Ormuz (on the Persian Gulf). We went northwest overland to the Black Sea, then the Mediterranean Sea, and back to Venice, Italy.