>>4368645 (pb)

Cathay (/kæˈθeɪ/) is an alternative historical name for China in English. During the early modern period Europeans thought of Cathay as a completely separate and distinct culture from China. As knowledge of East Asia increased, Cathay came to be seen as the same nation as China and the term '"Cathay" became a poetic name for the nation.

The name Cathay originates from the word Khitan (Chinese: 契丹; pinyin: Qìdān), the name of a nomadic people who founded the Liao Empire which ruled much of today's Northern China from 907 to 1125, and who later migrated west after they were overthrown by the Jurchens to form the Qara Khitai centered on today's Kyrgyzstan for another century thereafter. Originally, this name was the name applied by Central and Western Asians and Europeans to northern China; the name was also used in Marco Polo's book on his travels in China (he referred to southern China as Mangi).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay

Qara Khitai centered on today's Kyrgyzstan