In a country famed for political chicanery where huge swathes of the population remain so destitute and illiterate they vote by selecting the symbol cricket bat, elephant, lotusflower, scooter ascribed to whatever party is doing nothing for them this year, this striking autonomy has served them well.
They are the ornamentation motifs of flower, vine, flame, lotus petals, bamboo-shoot or water-buffalo teeth, used to decorate objects and architectural elements throughout Cambodia, and people have long drawn these motifs from the environment and social life - from the Angkorian period to today.
The decorative flourishes in the Chinese-themed rooms--silk pillows, framed lotusflower prints, armoires made of mappa burl wood or sycamore--make them a touch more interesting than the Western rooms, but nothing feels particularly revelatory.