Way to take you out of the moment. Ridiculous line. Most likely the Asian woman would have never even met a white guy before Polo, and would have thought him a barbarian, and herself superior.
shareI don't even remember that line, so it must not have seemed very glaring to me. What was the context and/or episode and character who spoke it?
shareShe's mocking him, not praising him. She's looking down on him. You're completely right about your second point.
shareFelt the same. At this time Europe was *beep* and in no way considered a more advanced, prosperous region than the East. The very concept of a "White Saviour" would not have even made any sense.
Marco Polo is more of an anomaly. Some curious stranger from the West.