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 Organisation commercial and residential properties held by its affiliated companies in 1994. Orchard Cinema closed its doors in 1995 for redevelopment. In 1997, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard opened at the former Cathay Cinema site with the 6-screen Cathay Cineplex. That same year, Cathay opened its 6-screen cineplex, Mega Pavilion Cinema in Kompleks Bukit Jambul in Penang, Malaysia. A year later, Mega Pavilion Cinema opened at Megamal Pinang, Penang. Cathay opened a 34 lane bowling alley in Endah Parade, Kuala Lumpur in 1998. The Orchard Cineplex (Hall 3 & 6) and The Picturehouse were named "The Best Screens" in a survey conducted by