Cathay known China under names similar to "Cathay", that country was known to the peoples of South-East Asia and India under names similar to "China" (cf. e.g. "Cina" in modern Malay). Meanwhile, in China itself, people usually referred to their nation state based on the name of the ruling dynasty, e.g. "Da Ming Guo" ("the kingdom of the Great Ming"), or as the "Middle Kingdom" ("Zhongguo" 中國); see also Names of China for details. When the Portuguese reached South-East Asia (Afonso de Albuquerque conquering Malacca in 1511) and the southern coast of China (Jorge Álvares reaching the Pearl River estuary in
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