Cambodia emerged as a hybrid Hindu state in the Mekong Delta during the 6th century. Three centuries earlier, a Chinese visitor recorded that 'local people lived in stilt houses covered in thatch, cultivated rice and sent tributes of gold, silver, ivory and exotic animals to the Imperial court'. These early wooden dwellings were typically located on network of canals connecting sea and land routes used by Indian traders in the ancient kingdom, which the Chinese referred to as Funan. In the 21st century, most Cambodians reside in the rural areas. These proud farming communities live in villages of wooden thatched houses, growing rice or produce for both export markets. This unbroken tradition of domestic and functional, rather than public buildings - has started to disappear, along with Khmer carpentry skills. The finest examples of these houses are increasingly neglected despite being an important part of Cambodia's vernacular architectural heritage.