Passing Through the World - ALWAYS ON THE WAY
In the movie "In the Mood for Love," Tony Leung's character Chow Mo-wan says: "In the old days, if someone had a secret they didn't want to share, they would go to a mountain, find a tree, carve a hole in it, and whisper the secret into the hole. Then they would cover it with mud. And the secret would stay there forever, and no one would ever know." At the film's end, Chow Mo-wan goes to Cambodia and finds a stone hole at Angkor Wat to seal away all his secrets.
And so I remembered Angkor Wat. Later, I read through Jiang Xun's "The Beauty of Angkor" in one sitting and became fascinated. When I arrived in this mysterious country and wandered among the ancient ruins of Angkor, I was repeatedly awestruck by these ancient, mysterious, and magnificent structures. Fortunately, having read "The Beauty of Angkor" saved me from wandering ignorantly. Otherwise, I would surely have lost sight of my original intention among these architectural ruins. Some say there's nothing to see at Angkor Wat — just broken stones. But if you know the long history and glorious civilization that once existed here, you'll understand that these stones represent the existence of a dynasty, a civilization.
The Angkor Dynasty
In the 9th century AD, the Angkor Dynasty was established, reaching its peak under Jayavarman VII in 1181. The dynasty's territory included all of present-day Cambodia, parts of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam — essentially most of Southeast Asia.
The Angkor capital, once ravaged, was in ruins. To prevent further invasions, Jayavarman VII determined to rebuild — this was Angkor Thom (the Great City). Angkor Thom is a square city with thick walls on all four sides, entered through five tall gates. At the intersection stands the kingdom's center — Bayon Temple — home to the world-famous "Smile of Angkor."
But as the dynasty's tax burdens and corvee labor on the people intensified, the king's divine authority was questioned. Decades of drought directly affected the stability of royal power. In 1432, the Siamese Ayutthaya Dynasty invaded, and the reigning king abandoned the city and fled, relocating the capital to Phnom Penh. From then on, Angkor vanished.
It wasn't until 1860 that French biologist Henri Mouhot, using the book "The Customs of Cambodia" (Zhenla Fengtu Ji), discovered the Angkor ruins buried for over 400 years in the jungles of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Angkor is actually a group of ancient monuments. What people commonly call "Angkor Wat" is more precisely Angkor Temple — the world's largest temple ruins and the earliest Khmer-style architecture.
In 1992, UNESCO inscribed the Angkor monuments on the World Cultural Heritage list.
The Customs of Cambodia
Without "The Customs of Cambodia," who knows if Angkor would ever have been rediscovered? So we must thank its author — a great traveler, or perhaps a meticulous "spy" — Zhou Daguan.
Zhou Daguan was a Chinese from the Yuan Dynasty. In 1295 (note: the original text says 1925, which is likely a typo for 1295), Yuan Emperor Chengzong Temur Khan dispatched him to lead a diplomatic mission to present-day Cambodia. He stayed for three years. Upon returning, Zhou Daguan presented the emperor with "The Customs of Cambodia" — perhaps originally a memorial — documenting the architecture, daily life, food, clothing, marriage customs, religion, politics, climate, and more of 13th-century Zhenla (Cambodia), like a documentary.
The Zhenla Dynasty flourished for centuries. In 1431, it was destroyed by the Siamese. The dynasty moved south to Phnom Penh, and the old capital Angkor was abandoned, gradually covered by jungle, lost to history and forgotten by the world. But precisely because of "The Customs of Cambodia," the Zhenla Dynasty came to the attention of Europeans. In 1860, French biologist Henri Mouhot used this book to discover the Angkor Dynasty ruins buried in the jungle for over 400 years.
Formation, Duration, Decay, Emptiness
Jiang Xun wrote: "Angkor is like a Buddhist scripture, its verses chanted between sunrise and sunset, full moon and new moon, flowers blooming and flowers falling, birth and death — waiting for each person's enlightenment."
Having roughly understood Angkor's history, one grasps the Buddhist concept of "formation, duration, decay, emptiness" (cheng zhu huai kong). The four kalpas in Buddhism represent four stages of worldly change: the Formation Kalpa (period of creation), the Duration Kalpa (period of existence), the Decay Kalpa (period of destruction), and the Emptiness Kalpa (period of void).
When I arrived in Siem Reap and visited Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, Beng Mealea, and Banteay Srei (the Women's Palace), it was as if I witnessed the entire historical process of the Angkor Dynasty — "from nothing, to establishment, to sustained existence, to destruction by the Siamese and abandonment for Phnom Penh, and finally four hundred years of emptiness as a city buried in tropical jungle" — a perfect illustration of "formation, duration, decay, emptiness."
Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, and Tonle Sap Lake
Though the mysterious Angkor monuments cover a vast area, being world-famous, they already have very mature tour routes, generally divided into the Small Circuit, Grand Circuit, and Outer Circuit.
Day 1: South Gate of Angkor Thom - Bayon Temple - Baphuon - Phimeanakas - Elephant Terrace - Angkor Wat - Sunset at Phnom Bakheng
Day 2: Angkor Wat Sunrise - Preah Khan - Pre Rup - Ta Prohm
Day 3: Banteay Srei (Women's Palace) - Beng Mealea - Bakong - Boat Tour of Tonle Sap Lake (sunset viewing possible)
Bayon Temple — home to the world-famous "Smile of Angkor." It is the magnificent mausoleum Jayavarman VII built for himself. The towering five-tiered central tower symbolizes Mount Meru, the center of the world in Hinduism. Inside Bayon, visitors are surrounded by smiling Buddha faces on all four sides. The eyes carved on these faces are magical — they appear closed, but as the light changes, they seem to open, while the upturned smile remains constant, radiating an extraordinary sense of peace.
The walls surrounding Bayon feature 1,200 meters of relief carvings documenting the 12th-century wars between the Khmer and Cham peoples, as well as scenes of common people's daily lives — of great historical and artistic value.
Baphuon — closest to Bayon. Walking along the 172-meter-long causeway, one can almost feel the solemn scene of ancient people walking this same path. Today, Baphuon's restoration is basically complete. The main sanctuary is a pyramid-shaped five-tiered structure. From a distance, it looks like a pile of stones, with a single door frame at the top — like a portal to the infinite. The entire temple covers a large area, with steep steps. Wooden staircases have been installed, but you can no longer climb to the very top.
Ta Prohm — this temple was built by Jayavarman VII for his Buddhist mother. It's also the filming location for "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Its most distinctive feature is that the entire temple has been almost entirely swallowed by jungle. Enormous trees rise from the buildings, their roots wrapping around the ancient temple like giant pythons, nearly merging into one — a shocking sight full of mysterious power. The extraordinary scene presented by this Buddhist temple makes one marvel at the tenacity of life. From sprouting to splitting stone cracks and finally spreading its body, the ceaseless vitality of these giant trees is as worthy of awe as the Buddha — confirming the saying: "Heaven and Earth nurture divine spirits, and also bring forth living creatures."
Angkor Wat — the Angkor Wat known to the world, also called Angkor Temple or Small Angkor. It is the most magnificent and grandiose structure in the entire Angkor monument complex — the masterpiece of the Angkor Dynasty at its peak. It is both a temple and a tomb, built by Suryavarman II as his own mausoleum, also serving to worship the great god Vishnu.
It is surrounded by a moat nearly 200 meters wide, still full of water today, covered with floating plastic boards that visitors step on to cross easily. The 475-meter-long causeway occupies half the entire structure. At the end of the causeway, passing through three parallel gates, you enter the inner wall, where another causeway leads to the tallest central structure. The stairs to the highest point are extremely steep. Staff at the bottom issue passes to limit the number of climbers — women must wear long clothes and pants or be prohibited from climbing. We gripped the handrails and climbed using both hands and feet. Sitting quietly in a corner, we let the wind brush our faces.
The relief carvings on the outer corridors of Angkor Temple are spectacular — over 800 meters in total length, depicting the Indian epics "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata," like humanity's earliest mythological picture books. Worth spending time to appreciate.
Banteay Srei (Women's Palace) — not its real name. When the French discovered it, they were stunned by its beauty. The entire temple is built of sandstone, taking on a beautiful rose color especially in morning light or sunset. There are goddess statues inside, and the French mistakenly thought it was a palace built by the Angkor king for his concubines. It's been called the "Mona Lisa of the East." In reality, this was a place given by King Rajendravarman to his guru for his twilight years of meditation — those who lived here were monks. The guru felt unworthy and dedicated the temple to Shiva, the greatest god in Hinduism. Therefore, Banteay Srei has extensive carvings about Shiva and Hindu stories. The carving craftsmanship is breathtaking, and the stories they tell are captivating.
Tonle Sap Lake — the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It shaped Cambodia's vast plains. During the rainy season from May to October, the Mekong River flows backward into the lake, nurturing abundant fish and shrimp. The residents of the floating villages here have lived on the water for generations. They learn to row boats from childhood, living in stilt houses rising from the water — bathing, fishing, playing, selling souvenirs, driving boats for tourists, living by the water.
Having walked through Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, I marveled at the glorious civilization of the Angkor Dynasty that began over 1,000 years ago. Having visited Tonle Sap Lake, I was shaken by the simple and impoverished lives of its people — without attempts to change, their lives might never change.
Cambodia today is quite underdeveloped. Foreigners in Cambodia, especially Chinese tourists, are still easily robbed. Chinese faces are probably seen as walking cash by locals. I've heard jokes about being robbed down to just underwear more than once. So although I've been to Cambodia many times, I never take out my phone on the street, don't carry shoulder bags, don't wear jewelry, and dress plainly — that's the only way to be safe enough.
Even with certain safety concerns, travelers still flock here. Because Angkor truly deserves to be called "a place one must visit in a lifetime." Amidst transformations, beauty transcends. When sunlight falls on the smiling stone carvings of Bayon, you might find that this magical place has already opened the door to your heart.
