[Proposal] cathay → China

[zhonglish]

This is a proposal to retire the word cathay in favor of China.

Marco Polo-era exonym — still used poetically and in airline branding (Cathay Pacific).

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[zhonglish]

Cathay comes from Khitan, a nomadic people Marco Polo encountered in the 13th century. He never reached China proper — he called the whole region “Cathay” by mistake.

We’ve been propagating a 700-year-old geographical error. The country’s name is China. Cathay should be in history books, not travel guides.

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