The Kingdom of Chenla

original: "Zhenla Guo." As noted previously, this refers to the Khmer civilization of Cambodia.

To reach the Kingdom of Chenla, one sets sail from Guangzhou A major port city in Southern China.; with a favorable northern wind, the journey takes ten days. The climate there is never cold. Regarding their customs of marriage, the groom always moves into the bride's household.

When a daughter reaches the age of nine, the family invites a monk to recite sutras and perform a Buddhist ritual original: "fan fa." Literally "Brahmanic" or "Buddhist" methods/rituals.. During this rite, the monk uses his finger to ceremonially rupture the girl's hymen original: "tiao sun tong shen." This refers to the historical "Zhen Tan" or "Chen Tan" ritual described by travelers like Zhou Daguan, a rite of passage into womanhood. and takes the blood to mark her forehead. The mother also uses this blood to mark her own forehead, a practice they call "attaining a lucky market" original: "li shi." A term still used in Cantonese (lai see) for auspiciousness or good fortune.. It is believed that after this ritual, the daughter will enjoy a harmonious and joyful marriage in the future. Generally, girls marry once they reach the age of ten.

If a wife has an affair with a guest, the husband is actually pleased rather than angry. He will boast to others, saying: "My wife is beautiful and clever, which is why others love her."

As for the laws of the land: those who commit theft have their hands and feet amputated, or are branded with fire on their chests and backs, and marked on their foreheads. For capital offenses, the criminal is beheaded, or their body is impaled upon a carved wooden stake. If a local kills a Chinese person Tang ren Literally "Person of Tang," a common term for Chinese people used abroad long after the Tang Dynasty ended., they must pay with their life according to the local "barbarian" laws. However, if a Chinese person kills a local, they are only required to pay a heavy fine in gold. If they lack the gold, they must sell themselves into slavery to raise the funds for their redemption.

To the north, the kingdom reaches Champa original: "Zhan Cheng." An ancient kingdom in central and southern Vietnam.. Nearby are the kingdoms of Xipeng Possibly a transcription of a local Mon-Khmer or Thai polity; "West Peng." and others. In one corner of the sky above this country, there is a slight blemish or mark. Ancient lore says this is a spot that Nüwa The mother goddess of Chinese mythology, known for repairing the pillars of heaven and the broken sky with five-colored stones. did not reach during her repairs of the heavens.