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 Cinema at City Square in Johor Bahru, Malaysia in 2000. Over in Singapore, Cathay received license from the Singapore Broadcasting Authority to operate video-on demand service in Singapore from June 2001. The company also launched its automated phone booking system for movie tickets while Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure Orchard underwent a facelift. Cathay Cineplexes became the first cineplex operator in Singapore to achieve ISO 9002 certification. That same year, the Cathay Building on Handy Road closed for re-development. The following year, Cathay Cineplexes launched it e-Ticketing facility on its website for customers to purchase movie tickets online. Cathay Bowl opened 24