Scholars believed that the east-west exchanges in ancient times went far beyond commercial goods and merchandise, for through this route, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism (a sect in the name of Nestorius, a branch of Christian religion) , Manichaeanism, Islam as well as Judaism flowed into ancient and medieval China, and the important Chinese developments such as paper-making technique, printing technology, the magic compass and gun powder, proliferated to the rest of the world . In case the terms like Spice Routes or Porcelain Routes were accepted, the project would be limited in the area of commercial links between the east and the west. The Silk Road as a term can cover all the discussed areas.