 Of the religions in East Asia, it was Buddhism that played the strongest role in influencing writing and, in particular, printing.There were other factors that influenced the creation of manuscript and print culture, but Buddhism had the largest influence in spreading the usage of print technology, which in turn led to an increase in the dissemination of secular printing and literacy as well as wielding an important influence on economics, government, and competing religions/philosophies.The earliest known writing in China are inscriptions on bones and shells which were used for divination for approximately three centuries until the late 11th century BC.