Cathay large Christian population, while the Jesuits in China had not found any Christians there. In retrospect, the Central Asian Muslim informants' idea of the Ming China being a heavily Christian country may be explained by numerous similarities between Christian and Buddhist ecclesiastical rituals – from having sumptuous statuary and ecclesiastical robes to Gregorian chant – which would make the two religions appear externally similar to a Muslim merchant. This may also have been the genesis of the Prester John myth. To resolve the China-Cathay controversy, the India Jesuits sent a Portuguese lay brother, Bento de Góis on an overland expedition
Cathay Bank The result of the merger increased Cathay Bank's presence in New York as well as added Maryland to its list of service areas. On July 8, 2016, Cathay announced plans to acquire Far East National Bank. Cathay Bank Cathay Bank () is a Sino-American bank based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1962, it has since expanded its network throughout California and into Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, Nevada, Maryland, and Hong Kong. Additionally, it has representative offices in Shanghai and Taipei. The bank is headquartered in Chinatown, Los Angeles, and operates a corporate center in nearby