However, his stay is notable because he later wrote a detailed report on life in Angkor, The Customs of Cambodia (Chinese: 真臘風土記; pinyin: Zhenlafengtu Ji) .
On 20 February 1296, Zhou Daguan set sail from Mingzhou (明州, today's Ningbo) in Jiangzhe province (江浙行省, composing modern Zhejiang and some parts of Jiangsu and Anhui), on a compass guided ship, passing the ports of Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Quanzhou (Zaiton), the Island of Hainan, the Seven-Islands Sea (Qizhou yang), the sea off Central Vietnam coast (Jiaozhi Sea), and stopped over in Zhancheng or Champa (today's Qui Nhon).
The ship resumed its trip past the province of Zhenpu (Bà Rịa in present-day southeastern Vietnam), through Poulo Condor Sea, then heading north on the Mekong River into Tonle Sap River reaching the town of Kampong Chhnang of Cambodia; from there he boarded a small boat, sailing for a dozen days, through Tonle Sap Lake arriving at Yaśodharapura (Angkor Thom), the capital of Cambodia in August.
The city was surrounded by a wide moat crossed by bridges with sculptures of 54 figures pulling a nine-head nāga.
On top of the city gate there were five Buddha heads, four of them facing four directions, the one at the centre was covered with gold.
The peasants, both men and women kept their chests exposed, walked barefoot, and wore only a piece of cloth wrapped around their waists.
In the market place, there were no buildings, but rather the female vendors sold their wares on large mats spread about ground.
Zhou mentioned seeing people in Angkor who appeared feminine or didn't conform to traditional gender roles.
He recounted a royal procession of Indravarman III who wielded a sacred sword in his hand: When the king goes out, troops lead the escort; then come flags, banners and music.
Then come other palace women, carrying lances and shields; then the king's private guards; then carts drawn by goats and horses, all in gold.
His elephant's tusks are encased in gold.Zhou's book was first translated into French by the sinologist Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat in 1819,[12] and again by Paul Pelliot in 1902.
Harris also draws a series of parallels between the voyage of Zhou and the travels of Marco Polo.