What did Ibn Battuta see in China?

"departed in the evening to another village. This continued until we reached the city of Sinkalan, pronounced with an open K, which is the China of China. This city is known for its pottery manufacturing, olives, and is situated at the confluence of the rivers of life that pour into the sea, called Majma al-Bahrain. It is one of the largest and most beautiful cities with remarkable markets, and its pottery market is among the greatest, pottery exported across all of China, India, and Yemen. Inside this city lies a magnificent church with nine doors. Behind each door, columns and terraces house the inhabitants. Between the second and third"

"whom are archers, shield-bearers, and those who throw oil and use jerachia. Each large ship is accompanied by three others, half-sized, third-sized, and quarter-sized. These ships are only built in the city of Zhetan in China, or in Qilan, China, which is the central China. The construction involves building two wooden walls joined by very large wood crossbeams, nailed together with large nails three cubits long."

"akin to the Indian River of the same name. It originates from mountains near the city of Khanbalk, known as Ko Buzan, meaning the Mountain of Monkeys, flowing through China for six months until it reaches the region known as China-China. The river is flanked by villages, farms, orchards, and markets, akin to the Nile of Egypt, yet far more developed, with numerous water wheels."

"Their roosters rival ostriches, and when plucked, reveal red flesh. My first sight of a Chinese rooster was in Colom, mistaking it for an ostrich. Its owner said China has even larger. Upon arriving in China, I affirmed his claim. The people of China are disbelievers who worship idols and cremate their dead, similar to the Indians."

"I questioned him about this, and he explained that these were his townsfolk returning to inform his family and relatives that he ventured to India with gifts. This would bring shame upon him, so he declined and traveled with them to China. Later, I heard from India that when he reached the city of Malacca, the last land of Transoxiana and the first of China, he stayed there."

"for three days. One day, he said to me, I see that you love to travel and explore lands. I replied, Yes, I love that, though at the time I had not considered penetrating into the distant lands of India and China. He said, You must, God willing, visit my brothers Farid-al-Din in India, Rukn-al-Din Zakaria in Sindh, and Burhan-al-Din in China."

"I have neither seen in the Chipchak Desert nor elsewhere anyone who confirmed seeing a woman like this, nor heard of one except this khatun. Except perhaps one of China's people informed me a type of their women is similar, but it was beyond my reach and I have no evidence of it. The day after my meeting with the sultan, I entered to see the khatun, sitting among ten elder women who seemed like her attendants. Before her were about fifty young girls called the daughters, holding golden and silver trays filled with cherries, which they were sorting. In front of her was a golden tray filled with cherries, and on the other side of"

"me a Roman slave named Niccolo and two silk robes known as khamka. These garments are made in Baghdad, Tabriz, Nishapur, and China. The jurist who led the prayer told me that the emir had no slave left besides the one he gave me, due to his generosity. May Allah bless him. He also gifted Shaykh Izz al-Din three equipped horses, a large silver vessel called a mashraba filled with dirhams, and clothes made of molf, a type of textile, maris, woolen cloth, qasi brocade, and khamka, along with maidservants and young boys. This emir was generous, virtuous, and a frequent participant in jihad. He had warships with which he raided"