Kublai Khan was a Mongol emperor and had a big importance with the contact between China and The West. He increased trade routes in Asia and was a good supporter of science and the arts. Marco Polo was the explorer who went more the China during that time and was one of the responsibles for the connection between the empire and the west.
This also happened during the Crusades. When the Crusaders went to the Middle East they saw the advanced trade system there and they learned advanced mathematics and numeral systems. This made Europe open to new ideas and products
Kublai Khan was the fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire, reigning from 1260 to 1294. He also founded the Yuan dynasty in China and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until 1294. The Yuan dynasty ruled over present-day Mongolia, China, Korea and some adjacent areas.
Under Kublai, direct contact between East Asia and Europe was established. This was because the central Asian trade routes were under Mongol control. Moreover, this was facilitated by the presence of efficient postal services. During the early 13th century, Europeans and Central Asians travelled to China, while large numbers of Chinese travelled to other parts of the Mongol Empire, Russia, Persia and Mesopotamia.
