Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Arts
The Khmer Rouge's assault on the arts was a terrible blow to Cambodian culture. Indeed,
for a number of years the consensus among Khmers was that their culture had been irrevoc-
ably lost. The Khmer Rouge not only did away with living bearers of Khmer culture but
also destroyed cultural artefacts, statues, musical instruments, books and anything else that
served as a reminder of a past it was trying to efface. The temples of Angkor were spared
as a symbol of Khmer glory and empire, but little else survived. Despite this, Cambodia is
witnessing a resurgence of traditional arts and a growing interest in experimentation in
modern arts and cross-cultural fusion.
Rithy Panh's 1996 film Bophana tells the true story of Hout Bophana, a beautiful young woman,
and Ly Sitha, a regional Khmer Rouge leader, who fall in love and are executed for their 'crime'.
Architecture
Khmer architecture reached its peak during the Angkorian era (9th to 14th centuries). Some
of the finest examples of architecture from this period are Angkor Wat and the structures of
Angkor Thom.
Today, most rural Cambodian houses are built on high wood pilings (if the family can af-
ford it) and have thatched roofs, walls made of palm mats and floors of woven bamboo
strips resting on bamboo joists. The shady space underneath is used for storage and for
people to relax at midday. Wealthier families have houses with wooden walls and tiled
roofs, but the basic design remains the same.
The French left their mark in Cambodia in the form of some handsome villas and gov-
ernment buildings built in neoclassical style, Romanesque pillars and all. Some of the best
architectural examples are in Phnom Penh, but most of the provincial capitals have at least
one or two examples of architecture from the colonial period. Battambang and Kampot are
two of the best-preserved colonial-era towns, with handsome rows of shophouses and the
classic governor's residences.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Cambodia's so-called golden era, a group of young Khmer
architects shaped the capital of Cambodia in their own image, experimenting with what is
now called New Khmer Architecture. Vann Molyvann was the most famous proponent of
this school of architecture, designing a number of prominent Phnom Penh landmarks such
as the Olympic Stadium, the Chatomuk Theatre and Independence Monument. The beach
 
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