On-screen text reads, 'Journey to a Medieval Angkor: Animated Accounts of a 13th Century Visit to Cambodia Part II. [Monash University, 2014].' Animations based upon: Zhou Daguan's A Record Of Cambodia: The Land And Its People. Text sourced from the translation by Peter Harris, Silkworm Books, Bangkok, 2007.'
Chinese script oriented vertically.
On-screen text reads, 'The great Mandate of Heaven that the sacred dynasty has received includes everywhere in the four seas…'
(Bells ring musically)
On-screen text reads, 'In the second month of… the year bingshen in the Yuanzhen reign period (1296), we left Mingzhou… We arrived in Cambodia in the autumn, at the beginning of the seventh month.'
(Waves rush)
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpt from: General Preface.'
Animation of tri-masted ships sailing the open seas on a full moon night.
On-screen text reads, 'If you set sail from Wenzhou and go south-southwest by the compass… and… cross the Seven Islands Sea and the Jiaozbi Sea… with the wind behind you, you will… get from Champa… to Zhenpu on the frontier of Cambodia in about fifteen days.'
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 18: The Landscape.'
(Insects and birds chirp, monkeys howl)
Shot of a broad river flowing through thick mangrove forest.
On-screen text reads, 'Coming up from Zhenpu, you skirt many tree-covered plains and forests… Birds and animals make a riot of sound in the dark, shadowy forests… …with their old trees and tall bamboos.'
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from: General Preface.'
A bird's eye view of a city amongst cultivated fields.
(Flute music)
On-screen text reads, '…Zhenla, also called… Gambozhi… has long been a trading country…'
A flock of birds fly over the city. Although I could not get to know the land, customs and affairs… in every particular, I could see enough to get a general sense of them.'
On-screen text reads, ' Excerpts from Chapter 34: Villages.'
Animation of two men with joined palms standing before officials on horseback.
On-screen text reads, '…In every village… where the population is quite dense… …there is… an official called "maijie"… who is responsible for the security of the village.'
Animation of the men bowing to the official as he rides away.
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 26: Fish and Reptiles.'
Underwater bubbling of water)
Shot of fish swimming amongst river vegetation.
On-screen text reads, '…there are very many fish… all of them coming from the Freshwater Sea.'
Silhouette of a crocodile swimming on the surface of the river.
On-screen text reads, 'There are crocodiles as big as boats. They… look exactly like dragons except they have no horns.'
A fisherman on canoe stares at a floating crocodile.
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 4: Officials.'
(Bells jingle, rustling)
Shot of an official sitting on an elephant with retainers walking beside it carrying banners and umbrellas.
On-screen text reads, 'As in China, the country has officials with the rank of chief minister, commander-in-chief-of-the-army… and so on…'
(Conch blares)
On-screen text reads, 'Below them are various kinds of junior officials… In general, those who take on these positions are the king's relatives.'
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 27: Fermented Liquor'
Crunching footsteps)
Animation of a drunk man staggering through a village on a full moon night
On-screen text reads, 'Down by the banks of the estuary they… have a palm starch wine, which they make from… a type of palm that grows on the riverbank.'
(Traditional music)
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 24: Animals.'
(Jungle sounds)
Shot of ox-drawn carts laden with goods travelling through a jungle trail.
On-screen text reads, 'There are a great many cows. People do not venture to ride them when they are alive, or eat them when they are dead, or flay their hides for leather…' They are used to haul carts and nothing else.'
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 11: Savages.'
(Cicadas chirp, monkey yelp)
Shot of a thick rainforest.
On-screen text reads, 'There are two kinds of savage…'
Animation of men carrying spears and bows and arrows stalking through the jungle.
On-screen text reads, 'The first… are sold into the towns as slaves… The second… have no homes to live in, but move from place to place in the mountains.'
A man fires a bow into the trees.
On-screen text reads, 'By nature they are very ferocious…'
The man picks up his kill and the men move on.
On-screen text reads, 'Excerpts from Chapter 13: New Year and the Seasons.'
(General hubbub)
Men work on tall scaffolding.
On-screen text reads, These people always take as their first month… the tenth Chinese lunar month…'
A palace is silhouetted against the sunset.
On-screen text reads, 'A large stage is set up in front of the royal palace. Facing it on the bank… are tall structures… made of wood joined and bound together… Rockets and fireworks are placed on top.'
Men stand on top of the scaffolding.
People watch fireworks.
On-screen text reads, 'The rockets can be seen from more than 100 li away…'
(Echoing boom)
On-screen text reads, '…and their explosions shake the city.'
(Bells jingle musically)
On-screen text reads, 'Even in a barbarian kingdom… these people do not fail to recognize what is due to a king.'