As I had noted in my post
of course buddhism was in china before bodhidharma, but bodhidharma's transmission was a transmission that is outside of scripture. this particular teaching (dhyana school) was not available in China until bodhidharma's arrival. This is the direct path of enlightenment in present body as opposed to the gradual path that was more readily available in China at the time.list of Ch'an school's patriach before bodhidharma