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 to their businesses and personal interests are displayed in the gallery. In November 2006, Cathay Organisation rationalised its business operations and sold its bowling operations to Family Leisure Pte Ltd. In November 2017, Cathay Cineplexes Pte Ltd; a subsidiary of Cathay Organisation was acquired wholly by mm2 Asia Ltd. Cathay Organisation has subsidiaries in Singapore and Malaysia, in cinema operations, film distribution, film acquisitions, hotel management, investment holding, advertising, events management and property management. Cathay Cineplexes Singapore manages Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, The Cathay, Cathay Cineplex Causeway Point, Cathay Cineplex AMK Hub, Cathay Cineplex Downtown East, Cathay Cineplex West Mall Cathay