Due to the geographical position of China, direct contacts with India were limited to the long journey by way of the silk road or the southern sea route by way of the Straights of Malacca. For this reason there was relatively little direct contact with India. Those who made the arduous journey to India usually brought back large collections of Buddhist Sanskrit Sūtras and Sanskrit Commentaries (Śāstra).
The authenticity of the primary texts of a order served to legitimize the various orders, all of which were vying for support amoung the ruling class. With the exception of the Ch'an/Zen Order, which was said to be "A Direct Transmission outside of the Sūtras" and whose legitimacy was the subject of much controversy, orders not based on recognized Indian texts did not survive long.
Although Mahāyāna Orders predominate in China, representatives of the Theravâda and Vajrayāna were also present in China, which were later also taken to Japan.

The table below outlines the orders, texts, and founders of the early Chinese, predominantly Mahāyāna, orders which later, in turn, were carried on to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.