What was the basic appeal of buddhism to the chinese

Buddhism promised freedom from suffering.

Answer: A primary appeal of Buddhism is that it offers and answer to many of the general cares and concerns of people without reliance on a god or gods which require human subservience and that sweep down to impose control. In Buddhism a person's progress form their present state to enlightenment, and the potential for release from the cycle of death and re-birth and suffering, is entirely up to them