Buddhism in China Between the 3rd and 9th centuries AD, China underwent a series of changes in its cultural composition. Chief among these was the adoption of Buddhist religious practices. I must emphasize that this was not a formal or universal change in religion, but a slow integration of a system that allowed its form to adapt to promote acceptance as long as the fundamental theories and practices remained the same , unlike most religions. Buddhism has made its way into the courts and decision makers of the Chinese state and this has been the major sticking point for the religion in China. For Buddhism to be accepted, the Emperor would have to condone it and at least offer his acceptance. Without imperial approval the religion was doomed to failure in such a regimented and centrally controlled state, of course some practiced it under threat of legal action because of the faith, but overall it would not have prospered. To understand the level of acceptance of Buddhism in China, one must look at each class individually and see how widely it was practiced by each class. This is due to the emphasis there was on class and how every single act, including religion, could be limited to a single class as the basis of power. This was the initial case of Buddhism when it arrived in China through merchant traffic which continued to increase in the first half of the first millennium AD. These merchants, being on average middle class, were well positioned by class and occupation to promote the spread of Buddhism. Buddhism quickly spread to a large and diverse group of individuals. As such, after its initial entry into China, Buddhism was not a single class phenomenon, it was widespread and hierarchical... middle of paper... enough to get people to listen to the story and thus increase diffusion of faith. structure in a subversive way. The main argument in favor of peasants' acceptance of Buddhism over Confucism is that Buddhism was a self-directed, introspective religion that required enlightenment through a process of self-guided, mentor-based spiritual adventures or training activities. Confucism, however, was focused on the development of the state through the betterment of each individual through learning and education. It is this education that causes problems for most farmers as the funds to pay for it are not present in their lifestyle and position in society. Collectively these groups of people make up China. So if we have shown that individual groups were Buddhist or accepted Buddhism, then the claim that China was a Buddhist country can be defended..