A good example of the way in which Southeast Asian groups were expose to both Indian and Chinese goods and ideologies is provided by the Lin-i dynasty of northern coastal Vietnam. Founded in the late second CE., the Lin-i controlled a territory that straddled a trade route running from south ern China to the Mekong delta, where Indian and Chinese merchants and reli- gious figures passed By the late third century, the Lin-i ruler was in league with the ruler of Funan and the two entities conducted raids across the ill- defined border to the neighboring Chinese territory. 00) As the Lin-i dynasty grew in strength, that strength was marked by the use of Indian iconography and traditions. By the early fifth century, they had adopted the Sanskrit lan- guage, and dedicated temples to the Indian deity Shiva; some of their rulers Bhadravarman.lor) took Indianized names such as Gangaraja and The example of the Lin-i illustrates that while Chinese models of social, political and religious organization were available to local leaders, their adop- tion would have been tempered by the apprehension that such adoption implied, or invited, Chinese control. By contrast, Indian political entities were too weak for physical expansion, and in being distant provided attractive, neutral and symbols for local authorities. Presented with two models of easily-manipulable state-operation, the Chinese and the "Indian," indigenous leaders in Southeast Asia chose to incorporate a model o bureaucratic organization that encom- passed little threat of political intervention. 102)