Chinese writing, culture and institutions were imported as a whole by Vietnam, Korea, Japan and the Ryukyus over an extended period.Chinese Buddhism spread over East Asia between the 2nd and 5th centuries AD, followed by Confucianism as these countries developed strong central governments modelled on Chinese institutions.In Vietnam and Korea, and for a shorter time in Japan and the Ryukyus, scholar-officials were selected using examinations on the Confucian classics modelled on the Chinese civil service examinations.Shared familiarity with the Chinese classics and Confucian values provided a common framework for intellectuals and ruling elites across the region.All of this was based on the use of Literary Chinese, which became the medium of scholarship and government across the region.Alth