 From then on, northern Zhejiang and neighboring southern Jiangsu have been synonymous with luxury and opulence in Chinese culture.The Mongol conquest and the establishment of the Yuan dynasty in 1279 ended Hangzhou's political clout, but its economy continued to prosper.The famous traveler Marco Polo visited the city, which he called "Kinsay" (after the Chinese "Jingshi", meaning "Capital City") claiming it was "the finest and noblest city in the world."