Kaligiran ng bansang Cambodia.

1. Mischelle D. Mariano
BSE IV-A

2. Heaven protects our King
And gives him happiness and glory
To reign over our souls and our
destinies,
The one being, heir of the
Sovereign builders,
Guiding the proud old Kingdom.
Temples are asleep in the forest,
Remembering the splendour of
Moha Nokor.
Like a rock the Khmer race is
eternal.
Let us trust in the fate of
Kampuchea,
The empire which challenges the
ages.
Songs rise up from the pagodas
To the glory of holy buddhistic
faith.
Let us be faithful to our ancestors'
belief.
Thus heaven will lavish its bounty
Towards the ancient Khmer
country, the Moha Nokor.
Pambansang Awit ng Cambodia

3. CAMBODIA 101
 Officially known as Kingdom of Cambodia
 A country in the southern portion of the
Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia
 Bordered by:
 Thailand – Northwest
 Laos – Northeast
 Vietnam – East
 Gulf of Thailand - Southwest

4.  68th most populous country in the world
 The minority groups include Vietnamese,
Chinese, Chams and 30 other hill tribes
 The capital and the largest city is Phnom Penh,
the political, economic and cultural center of
Cambodia
 The English form "Cambodia" is derived from
"Cambodge", the French transcription of
"Kampuchea".
CAMBODIA 101

5. HISTORY OF THE KINGDOM

6. ANCIENT CAMBODIA
 The first humans in Cambodia were Stone Age hunters
and gatherers. However farming was introduced into
Cambodia about 2,300 BC. The first farmers in Cambodia
used stone tools but from about 1,500 BC the
Cambodians used tools and weapons made from bronze.
By about 500 BC they had learned to use
 The first civilisation in the area arose about 150 AD in the
Mekong River delta in South Vietnam. This civilisation was
known to the Chinese who called it Fu-nan. iron.

7. ANCIENT CAMBODIA
 While Fu-nan was trading with the Chinese Cambodian
society grew more sophisticated. Settlements grew larger.
So did kingdoms. By the beginning of the 7th century AD
all of Cambodia was highly civilized.
 At first Cambodia was divided into rival states. However
at the beginning of the 9th century a king named
Jayavarman II founded the Khmer Empire in Cambodia.

8. THE KHMER EMPIRE
 Like all early civilizations the Khmer Empire was an
overwhelmingly agricultural society, Although there were
many craftsmen the great majority of the people were
farmers. Their staple diet was rice.
 The Khmers were animists. They believed that spirits
inhabited natural phenomena such as the earth and
trees. Later Indian religions (Hinduism and Buddhism)
were introduced but they co-existed with traditional
beliefs.

9. THE KHMER EMPIRE
 The rich and powerful built fine temples (the only stone
buildings in Cambodia). They were richly decorated with
fine stone carvings. The most famous temple is Angkor
Wat which was built in the early 12th century.
 Then about 1000 AD King Jayavarman V was killed. Civil
war followed until Suryavarman I founded another
dynasty. By 1011 he was in control of Cambodia. However
his dynasty only lasted until 1080 when it was replaced by
another.

10. THE KHMER EMPIRE
 In 1177 a people called the Chams from Champa (on the coast
of Vietnam) invaded Cambodia. However King Jayavarman VII
managed to drive them out by 1183 and between 1203 and
1220 he was able to force the Chams to submit to him.
Nevertheless by the mid-13th century the Khmer kingdom was
in decline.
 In 1431 the Thais captured the Cambodian capital, Angkor.
Afterwards it was abandoned and new capital was founded at
Phnom Penh. By the mid-16th century Angkor was overgrown
by the jungle and it was accidentally rediscovered by a
Cambodian king.

11. CAMBODIA 1500-1800
 During the 16th century Cambodian power continued to
decline. At the end of the century Cambodia fell under
Thai suzerainty . In 1594 the Thais captured the capital.
After that they dominated the region.
 From the middle of the 17th century the power of
Vietnam grew. In the early 17th century the Cambodians
controlled parts of what is now South Vietnam. They held
a port called Prey Nokor. (Later it was renamed Saigon). In
the late 17th century Prey Nokor fell under Vietnamese
rule.

12. CAMBODIA 1500-1800
 During the 18th century Cambodia found itself squeezed
between two powerful neighbours, Thailand and
Vietnam. The Thais invaded Cambodia several times in
the 18th century and in 1772 they destroyed Phnom
PenH. In the last years of the 18th century the
Vietnamese also invaded Cambodia. The Cambodian king
was forced to look to the Thais for protection. In return
Thailand took north-west Cambodia.

13. 19TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 In the early 19th century King Chan (1806-1834)
turned to the Vietnamese for protection from the
Thais. The Thais were annoyed by this policy and
when a rebellion occurred in south Vietnam in 1833
they took advantage by invading Cambodia. However
the Vietnamese king crushed the rebellion and the
Thai army retreated.

14. 19TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 As a result the Vietnamese emperor strengthened his
control over Cambodia. When Cambodian King Chan died
in 1834 one of his daughters was installed as Queen and
Vietnamese people settled in Cambodia. The Vietnamese
regarded the Cambodians as 'barbarians' an tried to
'civilize' them by teaching them Vietnamese customs.
 Resentment at Vietnamese influence led to a rebellion in
1840-1841. The Thais invaded again to re-assert their
control of Cambodia.

15. 19TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 However in the 1850s French missionaries arrived in
Cambodia. The Cambodian king turned to the French
to protect him from both the Thais and the
Vietnamese. So in 1863 Cambodia became a French
protectorate.

16. 20TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 Under French rule some economic
development took place in Cambodia. Roads
and railways were built and in the 1920s a
rubber industry grew up. However the
Cambodians were forced to pay heavy taxes
and from the 1930s Cambodian nationalism
grew.

17. 20TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 Then in 1941 Cambodia was occupied by the Japanese.
However at first they allowed French officials to remain in
their posts but in March 1945 as the Japanese were losing
the war they desperately tried to curry favour with the
Cambodians. They arrested French officials and declared
Cambodia independent. However when the Japanese
surrendered the French took over again. They arrived in
October 1945.

18. 20TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 This time the French did allow the Cambodians to have
political parties and a constitution. By a treaty of 1949
Cambodia was made semi-independent. Then in 1952
King Sihanouk dismissed the government and took
personal control of the country. Events then moved
swiftly. On 9 November 1953 the French finally allowed
Cambodia to become fully independent and in 1955
Sihanouk abdicated in favor of his father and elections
were held.

19. 20TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 Sihanouk formed his own political movement. From 1955-
1970 he dominated politics in Cambodia so much so that it is
sometimes called the 'Sihanouk era'. In 1960, when his father
died, he named himself 'Chief of State'. Sihanouk called his
movement 'Buddhist Socialism'. However it was not really
socialist at all.
 Sihanouk's reign began to crumble in 1968 when the
communists began a civil war. In 1970 Sihanouk left the
country. While he was away the National Assembly voted to
remove him as chief of state. Cambodia was renamed the
Khmer Republic.

20. 20TH CENTURY CAMBODIA
 However the communists slowly made
headway. The Americans bombed Cambodia to
try and stop the communists. Nevertheless
they captured Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975.

21. THE KHMER ROUGE

22. THE KHMER ROUGE
 In 1975 a horrific and tragic era of Cambodian history
began in the reign of the Khmer Rouge. They were led by
Pol Pot (or Saloth Sar) also known as 'Brother Number
One'. How many people were killed by Pol Pot and the
Khmer Rouge is not known for certain but it was probably
at least 1.5 million and it may have been as many as 3
million. Pol Pot declared that history would begin again in
Cambodia. The first year of revolution was now the first
year of history.

23. THE KHMER ROUGE
 In 1975 Cambodia was a mainly agricultural country. Pol
Pot decided it should be completely agricultural. This
meant all the people from the towns and cities were
forced to move to the countryside. Pol Pot also decided
that agricultural output should double in 4 years. Private
property was banned and collective farms were formed.
They were supposed to grow 3 tons of rice per hectare.
People were made to work very long hours to try and
grow the extra rice. They were given insufficient food and
many fell ill and died from a combination of exhaustion
and malnutrition.

24. THE KHMER ROUGE
 That was not all. Religion was banned in Cambodia
(people caught practicing Buddhism were executed).
Family relationships were banned (on the grounds that
parents exploited their children). Furthermore the
smallest infringement of the rules resulted in execution.
Although they were half starved, people caught foraging
for food were executed. People were also executed for
being lazy. Needless to say anyone who complained was
executed.

25. THE KHMER ROUGE
 Furthermore the Khmer Rouge murdered intellectuals.
Soon people who could speak a foreign language or who
wore glasses were executed. This nightmarish situation
was only ended by a war with Vietnam. The Vietnamese
invaded Cambodia in December 1978 and quickly
prevailed. Unfortunately Pol Pot escaped and he did not
die until 1998.

26. THE KHMER ROUGE
 Pol Pot's soldiers fled to Thailand and they were welcomed by
the Thai's who feared a Vietnamese invasion. The Khmer
Rouge continued a guerrilla war against the Vietnamese.
However the Vietnamese forces withdrew from Cambodia in
1989.
 Afterwards negotiations began among several different
parties. The result was the Paris Peace Accords of 1991.
Communism was abandoned in Cambodia and a provisional
government ruled until 1993 when elections were held and a
constitution was framed. Sihanouk was made a constitutional
monarch.

27. THE KHMER ROUGE
 However the Khmer Rouge refused to take part in the
elections and they continued their guerrilla war.
Fortunately in 1996 Pol Pot's second in command Leng
Sary defected in 1996. Many Khmer Rouge troops
followed him. Pol Pot himself died in 1998 and peace
returned to Cambodia.
 In 1999 Cambodia joined ASEAN.

28. 21ST CENTURY CAMBODIA
 In 2004 King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated. His son
became King Norodom Sihamoni in his place.
 Today Cambodia is still a poor country but there is every
reason to be optimistic about its future. In the early years
of the 21st Century the Cambodian economy grew
rapidly.

29. 21ST CENTURY CAMBODIA
 Cambodia suffered badly during the recession of 2009 but
it soon recovered and today it is growing strongly. Today
the textiles industry in Cambodia is booming. Tourism is
also an important industry in in Cambodia. However
many people in Cambodia still live by farming.
 In 2005 oil was discovered in the sea off Cambodia and it
holds great promise for the future. Today the population
of Cambodia is 14.9 million.

31. CULTURE OF CAMBODIA

32. Birth and Death Rituals
 The birth of a child is a happy event for the family.
According to traditional beliefs, however, confinement
and childbirth expose the family, and especially the
mother and the child to harm from the spirit world. A
woman who dies in childbirth—crosses the river (chhlong
tonle) in Khmer is believed to become an evil spirit. In
traditional Khmer society, a pregnant woman respects a
number of food taboos and avoids certain situations.
These traditions remain in practice in rural Cambodia, but
they have become weakened in urban areas.

33. Birth and Death Rituals
 Death is not viewed with the great outpouring of grief
common to Western society; it is viewed as the end of
one life and as the beginning of another life that one
hopes will be better. Buddhist Khmer usually are
cremated, and their ashes are deposited in a stupa in the
temple compound. A corpse is washed, dressed, and
placed in a coffin, which may be decorated with flowers
and with a photograph of the deceased.

34. Birth and Death Rituals
 White pennant-shaped flags, called "white crocodile
flags," outside a house indicate that someone in that
household has died. A funeral procession consisting of an
achar, Buddhist monks, members of the family, and other
mourners accompanies the coffin to the crematorium.
The spouse and the children show mourning by shaving
their heads and by wearing white clothing. Relics such as
teeth or pieces of bone are prized by the survivors, and
they are often worn on gold chains as amulets. If the child
is always ill, his or her parents can go and change the
name of child

35. Courtship, Marriage, Divorce
 Courtship patterns differ between rural and urban Khmer;
romantic love is a notion that exists to a much greater
extent in larger cities. A man usually marries between the
ages of nineteen and twenty-five, a girl between the ages
of sixteen and twenty-two. After a spouse has been
selected, each family investigates the other to make sure
its child is marrying into a good family. In rural areas,
there is a form of bride-service; that is, the young man
may take a vow to serve his prospective father-in-law for
a period of time.

36. Courtship, Marriage, Divorce
 The traditional wedding is a long and colorful affair.
Formerly it lasted three days, but in the 1980s it more
commonly lasted a day and a half. Buddhist priests offer a
short sermon and recite prayers of blessing. Parts of the
ceremony involve ritual hair cutting, tying cotton threads
soaked in holy water around the bride's and groom's
wrists, and passing a candle around a circle of happily
married and respected couples to bless the union. After
the wedding, a banquet is held. Newlyweds traditionally
move in with the wife's parents and may live with them
up to a year, until they can build a new house nearby.

37. Courtship, Marriage, Divorce
 Divorce is legal and relatively easy to obtain, but not
common. Divorced persons are viewed with some
disapproval. Each spouse retains whatever property he or
she brought into the marriage, and jointly-acquired
property is divided equally. Divorced persons may
remarry, but the woman must wait ten months. Custody
of minor children is usually given to the mother, and both
parents continue to have an obligation to contribute
financially toward the rearing and education of the child.
The divorced male doesn't have a waiting period before
he can re-marry.

38. Customs
 In Khmer culture a person's head is believed to contain
the person's soul--therefore making it taboo to touch or
point one's feet at it. It is also considered to be extremely
disrespectful to use the feet to point out a person, or to
sit or sleep with the soles of the feet pointing at a person,
as the feet are the lowest part of the body and are
considered to be impure.
 When greeting people or to show respect in Cambodia
people do the "sampeah" gesture, identical to the Indian
namaste and Thai wai.

39. Customs
 Customary Cambodian teachings are laid out in verse form in
long works from the 14th to 18th centuries collectively called
Chhbap ("rules" or "codes").These were traditionally learned
by rote. Works such as the Chhbap Pros ("Boy's Code"),
Chhbap Srey ("Girl's Code") and Chhbap Peak Chas ("Code of
Ancient Words") gave such advice as: a person that does not
wake up before sunrise is lazy; a child must tell parents or
elders where they go and what time they will return home;
always close doors gently, otherwise a bad temper will be
assumed; sit in a chair with the legs straight down and not
crossed (crossing the legs is a mark of an impolite person); and
always let the other person do more talking.
 In Cambodia it is not polite to make eye contact with someone
who is older or someone who is considered a superior.

40. Clothing
 Clothing in Cambodia is one of the most important aspects of
the culture. Cambodian fashion differs according to ethnic
group and social class. Khmer people traditionally wear a
checkered scarf called a Krama. The "krama" is what distinctly
separates the Khmer (Cambodians) from their neighbors the
Thai, the Vietnamese, and the Laotians. The scarf is used for
many purposes including for style, protection from the sun, an
aid (for the feet) when climbing trees, a hammock for infants,
a towel, or as a "sarong". A "krama" can also be easily shaped
into a small child's doll for play. Under the Khmer Rouge,
krama of various patterns were part of standard clothing.

41. Cambodian KRAMA

42. Clothing
 The long-popular traditional garment known as the
Sampot, is an Indian-influenced costume which
Cambodians have worn since the Funan era. Historically,
Khmer clothing has changed depending on the time
period and religion. From the Funan era to the Angkor
Era, there was a strong Hindu influence in Cambodian
fashion which favored wearing Sampots over the lower
body and oftentimes nothing from the waist up except
jewelry including bracelets and collars such as the Sarong
Kor, a symbol of Hinduism.

43. Cambodian Sampot

44. Clothing
 As Buddhism began to replace Hinduism, Khmer
people started wearing the blouse, shirt and trousers
of Khmer style. Khmer people, both common and
royal, stopped wearing the Hindu-style collars and
began to adopt beautiful decorated shawls such as
Sbai instead. This new clothing style was popular in
the Udong period.

45. Cuisine
 Khmer cuisine or more generally, Cambodian cuisine is
one of the worlds oldest living cuisines, and is regarded
by manyas one of the healthiest and most balanced
cuisines on the planet.
 The staple food for Cambodians is rice, and today rice is
consumed by most Cambodians daily and with all meals,
utilizing a great number of cooking styles and techniques.
In fact, Cambodians eat more rice than any other people
in the world

46. Cuisine
 In addition, rice is eaten all day long in the form of street-
side snacks, such as deep-fried rice cakes with chives and
spinach, for breakfast, as in Cambodia's famous rice
noodle soup kuyteav or rice porridge, and in many
desserts. Plain white rice is served with nearly every
family meal, typically served with grilled freshwater fish, a
samlor or soup, and an assortment of seasonal herbs,
salad leaves and vegetables.

47. KUYTEAV

48. Cuisine
 A common ingredient, almost a national institution, is a
pungent type of fermented fish paste used in many
dishes, a distinctive flavoring known as prahok. It's an
acquired taste for most Westerners, but is an integral part
of Khmer cuisine and is included in many dishes or used
as a dipping sauce. The liberal use of prahok, which adds
a salty tang to many dishes, is a characteristic which
distinguishes Khmer cuisine from that of its neighbours.

49. PRAHOK

50. Amok (Cambodian Curry)

51. Religion
 Buddhism has been the dominant religion in Cambodia,
in one form or another, since the reign of Jayavarman VII
(c. 1181-1200). Before its adoption as the state religion
however, Hinduism flourished for over a thousand years.
Roman Catholicism was introduced by French
missionaries beginning in the eighteenth century. Sunni
Islam is practiced among the Chams, while among the
Sino-Khmer population Mahayana Buddhism,
Confucianism and Chinese folk religions remain popular.

52. Religion
 Buddhism has existed in Cambodia since at least the
5th century AD, with some sources placing its origin as
early as the 3rd century BC. Theravada Buddhism has
been the Cambodian state religion since the 13th century
AD (excepting the Khmer Rouge period), and is currently
estimated to be the faith of 95% of the population.

53. Religion
 Cambodia was first influenced by Hinduism during the
beginning of the Kingdom of Funan kingdom. Hinduism
was one of the Khmer Empire's official religions.
Cambodia is the home to one of the only two temples
dedicated to Brahma in the world. Angkor Wat of
Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple of the world.

54. Religion
 Islam is the religion of a majority of the Cham (also
called Khmer Islam) and Malay minorities in Cambodia.
According to Po Dharma, there were 150,000 to 200,000
Muslims in Cambodia as late as 1975. Persecution under
the Khmer Rouge eroded their numbers, however, and by
the late 1980s they probably had not regained their
former strength. All of the Cham Muslims are Sunnis of
the Shafi'i school. Po Dharma divides the Muslim Cham in
Cambodia into a traditionalist branch and an orthodox
branch.

55. Religion
 There are around 20,000 Catholics in Cambodia which
represents 0.15% of the total population. There are no
dioceses, but there are three territorial jurisdictions - one
Apostolic Vicariate and two Apostolic Prefectures. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as
the Mormons) has a growing population in Cambodia.
The church's late prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley,
officially introduced missionary work to Cambodia on
May 29, 1996. The church now has 15 congregations (12
Khmer language and 3 Vietnamese language).

56. TRIBAL Religions
 Highland tribal groups, most with their own local religious
systems, probably number fewer than 100,000 persons. The
Khmer Loeu have been loosely described as animists, but most
tribal groups have their own pantheon of local spirits. In
general they see their world filled with various invisible spirits
(often called yang), some benevolent, others malevolent. They
associate spirits with rice, soil, water, fire, stones, paths, and
so forth.
 Some tribes have special medicine men or shamans who treat
the sick. In addition to belief in spirits, villagers believe in
taboos on many objects or practices. Among the Khmer Loeu,
the Rhade and Jarai groups have a well-developed hierarchy of
spirits with a supreme ruler at its head.

57. Pagodas in Cambodia
The 100-
Column Pagoda
in Kratie,
Cambodia.

58. The Angkor Wat

59. The Angkor Wat
 The largest Hindu temple complex in the world. The
temple was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th
century in as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings,
Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-
preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have
remained a significant religious centre since its
foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu,
then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high
classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a
symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it
is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

60. Education in Cambodia
 Traditional education in Cambodia was handled by the local
wat, and the Bhikkhu were the teachers. The students were
almost entirely young boys, and the education was limited to
memorizing Buddhist chants in Pali.
 During the period of the French protectorate, an educational
system based on the French model was inaugurated alongside
the traditional system. Initially, the French neglected
education in Cambodia. Only seven high school students
graduated in 1931, and only 50,000 to 60,000 children were
enrolled in primary school in 1936.

61. Education in Cambodia
 In the year immediately following independence, the
number of students rapidly increased. Vickery suggests
that education of any kind was considered an "absolute
good" by all Cambodians and that this attitude eventually
created a large group of unemployed or underemployed
graduates by the late 1960s.

62. Education in Cambodia
 From the early twentieth century until 1975, the system
of mass education operated on the French model. The
educational system was divided into primary, secondary,
higher, and specialized levels. Public education was under
the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, which
exercised full control over the entire system; it
established syllabi, hired and paid teachers, provided
supplies, and inspected schools. An inspector of primary
education, who had considerable authority, was assigned
to each province. Cultural committees under the Ministry
of Education were responsible for "enriching the
Cambodian language."

63. Cambodian Literature
 Cambodian or Khmer literature has a very ancient origin.
Like most Southeast Asian national literatures its
traditional corpus has two distinct aspects or levels:
 The written literature, mostly restricted to the royal
courts or the Buddhist monasteries.
 The oral literature, which is based on local folklore. It is
heavily influenced by Buddhism, the predominant
religion, as well as by the Hindu epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata.

64. Cambodian Literature
Ancient Stone Inscriptions
 A testimony of the antiquity of the Khmer language are
the multitude of epigraphic inscriptions on stone. The
first written proof that has allowed the history of the
Khmer empire to be reconstructed are those inscriptions.
 These writings on columns, stelae and walls throw light
on the royal lineages, religious edicts, territorial
conquests and internal organization of the kingdom.

65. Cambodian Literature
Buddhist Texts
 Following the stone inscriptions, some of the oldest
Khmer documents are translations and commentaries of
the Pali Buddhist texts of the Tripitaka written in the
Khmer script.
 These texts were written with stencils by the monks on
palmyra palm leaves. They were kept in various
monasteries throughout the country and many did not
escape the destruction of the Khmer Rouge.

66. Cambodian Literature
REAMKER
 The Reamker or Ram Ker (Rama's fame) is the Cambodian
version of the Ramayana, the famous Indian epic. The
Reamker comes in rhymed verses and is staged in sections
that are adapted to Cambodian dance movements
interpreted by local artists.
 The Reamker is the oldest form of Cambodian theatre.
The Robam Sovann Maccha - a certain dance from the
Reamker about Hanuman and Suvannamaccha, the
golden mermaid, is one of the most renowned pieces of
classical dance in Cambodia.

67. Cambodian Literature
Court Literature
 King Thommaracha II (1629–1634) wrote a poem directed to
the Khmer young generation which is still a well loved
traditional piece of poetry.
 King Ang Duong (1841–1860) is known in Khmer literature for
being not only a king but a famous classical writer in prose. His
novel Kakey or Ka key (from the Sanskrit word for a "female
crow"), is inspired in a Jataka tale and has elements of regional
folktales.
 Another work by Ang Duong, also probably inspired in an
ancient legend, is Puthisen Neang Kong Rey, a novel about a
faithful wife ready to sacrifice her life for her husband. Khmer
poets and songwriters have used the words "Kakey" for a
woman who is unfaithful to her man and "Neang Kong Rey" for
a very faithful woman.

68. Cambodian Literature
Popular Legends
 One of the most representative of these tales was the
story of Vorvong and Sorvong, a long story of the Khmer
oral tradition about two Khmer princes that fell into
disgrace, but after a series of ordeals regained their
status. Vorvong and Sorvong was first put into writing by
Auguste Pavie as "Vorvong and Saurivong"; this French
civil servant claimed that he had obtained the folk legend
version he wrote down from a certain "Old Uncle Nip" in
Somrontong District. This story was put into writing in
Battambang.

69. Cambodian Literature
Popular Legends
 Tum Teav is a classic tragic love story set in Kampong
Cham that has been told throughout the country since at
least mid 19th century. It is based on 17th or 18th century
poem of uncertain origin, probably having originated in a
more ancient Cambodian folk legend. Nowadays Tum
Teav has oral, literary, theatre, and film versions in Khmer.

70. Cambodian Literature
Modern Literature
 The era of French domination brought about a
requestioning of the role of the literature in Cambodia.
The first book in the Khmer script in a modern printing
press was printed in Phnom Penh in 1908. It was a
classical text on wisdom, "The Recommendations of Old
Mas", published under the auspices of Adhémard Leclère.

71. Cambodian Literature
Modern Literature
 Some of the first modern Cambodian literary works keep
the influences of the versified traditional literature, like
the 1911 novel Dik ram phka ram (The Dancing Water and
the Dancing Flower), Tum Teav (1915) by the venerable
Som, the 1900 work Bimba bilap (Bimba's Lamentation)
by female novelist Sou Seth, or even Dav Ek by Nou Kan,
which appeared in 1942.

72. MARAMING SALAMAT 