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 Organisation kiosk at Cathay Cineplex Orchard lobby and also introduced SMS ticketing. The following year, the historical Chinatown Majestic Theatre was converted into a shopping centre. Cathay opened The Majestic in February. Mega Pavilion Cineplex at Bukit Jambul in Malaysia went through a facelift. At the same time, in Singapore, EZ-Link payment was introduced at Cathay Cineplex Orchard and Cathay Bowl providing an alternative payment for customers. That same year, Cathay Cineplex launched Singapore's 1st Digital Cinema. Cathay Cineplexes became the first to introduce commercial films in digital format in Singapore. It also opened three more halls at Orchard and became