Cathay Hisao Migo (, a Japanese botanist) published a paper describing "Iris cathayensis" (meaning "Chinese iris") in the "Journal of the Shanghai Science Institute". Below is the etymological progression from Khitan to Cathay as the word travelled westward: In many Turkic and Slavic languages a form of "Cathay" (e.g., , "Kitay") remains the usual modern name for China. In Javanese, the word ꦏꦠꦻ (Katai, Katé) exists, and it refers to 'east asian', literally mean 'dwarf' or 'short-legged' in today's language. "Travels in the Land of Kublai Khan" by Marco Polo has a story called "The Road to Cathay". In the English
Cathay Building with the 10 floors had been converted into office premises and the top floor occupied by the Cathay Organisation by July 1974. The building was refaced in 1978 with a new look by STS Leong. The original design was shadowed by the new facade. Cathay Building was the location for the first Orange Julius outlet in Singapore, which opened in 1982. In 1990, Cathay Organisation opened Singapore's first arthouse cinema, The Picturehouse adjacent to Cathay Building. The main Cathay cinema was then converted into a two-hall cineplex during that period. In 1999, Cathay announced the S$100 million plans to redevelop