Place · region

Cathay

Also known as Khitay, Kitai

Cathay is the medieval European name for northern China, derived from the Khitan, the people who ruled the Liao dynasty. The name passed through Central Asian forms such as Khitay and was popularised in Europe by Marco Polo; it survives in the Russian name for China, Kitai. For centuries Europeans thought of Cathay and China as separate countries.

Cathay
Image: Cresques Abraham · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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Liao dynastyImpact, Summary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cathay. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cathay
MLA
“Cathay.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cathay. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cathay.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cathay.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cathay’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cathay (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻