Marco Polo's name: Cathay, and Qin Shi Huang's name: the Middle Kingdom

Caddo Magnet geography: Cathay, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

Three great cities to know:

Shanghai: at the mouth of the Yangtze, the world's most populous city. Some 23 million people. Fabulous harbor and skyline, including the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Beijing: Tianenmen Square and the Imperial City / Forbidden City.

Xi'an: the Wild Goose Pagoda and the Terra Cotta Army.