<P> The spread of religions and cultural traditions along the Silk Roads, according to Jerry H. Bentley, also led to syncretism . One example was the encounter with the Chinese and Xiongnu nomads . These unlikely events of cross-cultural contact allowed both cultures to adapt to each other as an alternative . The Xiongnu adopted Chinese agricultural techniques, dress style, and lifestyle, while the Chinese adopted Xiongnu military techniques, some dress style, music, and dance . Perhaps most surprising of the cultural exchanges between China and the Xiongnu, Chinese soldiers sometimes defected and converted to the Xiongnu way of life, and stayed in the steppes for fear of punishment . </P> <P> Nomadic mobility played a key role in facilitating inter-regional contacts and cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Roads . </P> <P> The transmission of Christianity was primarily known as Nestorianism on the Silk Road . In 781, an inscribed stele shows Nestorian Christian missionaries arriving on the Silk Road . Christianity had spread both east and west, simultaneously bringing Syriac language and evolving the forms of worship . </P> <P> The transmission of Buddhism to China via the Silk Road began in the 1st century CE, according to a semi-legendary account of an ambassador sent to the West by the Chinese Emperor Ming (58--75). During this period Buddhism began to spread throughout Southeast, East, and Central Asia . Mahayana, Theravada, and Tibetan Buddhism are the three primary forms of Buddhism that spread across Asia via the Silk Road . </P>

How long did trade between china and the mediterranean region begin