Reporting Angkor
At the end of the 13th century the Khmer Empire still dominated the Indo-Chinese peninsula, controlling all the land from the Chao Phaya River in the west to the Mouths of the Mekong in the east. At its heart lay Angkor, the city which stood close to the Tonle Sap, a great lake which fills and empties in a cycle dictated by monsoon rains and melting snow in the Himalayas.
Between August of 1296 and June of 1297 a Chinese embassy visited Angkor and Chou Ta-Kuan, an assistant to the ambassador, made many notes about life there. In this book, published to coincide with the seven hundredth anniversary of his visit, Chou Ta-Kuan's adventure is put into context and the story of his visit imaginatively retold.
Illustrated by the author.
1. A Predator from the north
2. A visitor to the south
3. Arrival
4. Settling in
5. Exploring the city
6. The grip of a king
7. Rest and recreation
8. Woman's lives - a glimpse
9. Fruits of the forests
10. Home