Why was the Silk Road important to the development of China?

The country had previously been isolated from the other ancient civilizations, and the Silk Road allowed a cultural exchange.
It contributed to the growing wealth of the nobility and ruling classes and helped keep the middle and lower classes in check.
The country needed a boost in population, and the Silk Road allowed new people to easily enter and stay.
It allowed an easy way for goods to flow into an economy that did not produce much, which increased wealth