Despite Its Dazzling Achievements, China Did Not Generate, as Europe

Despite its dazzling achievements, China did not generate, as Europe did in the Middle Ages, the forces that ultimately led to the modern scientific and industrial world. All of the following can help explain why except

A) Europe lacked China's all-encompassing empire, provoking more competition between kings, lords, and towns.
B) conformity was not one of the primary European virtues.
C) with religion and the church kept distinct from the state, the question of what Europeans should do with their lives was less dependent on the political powers than in China.
D) Europe discovered such crucial inventions as gunpowder and printing before the Chinese.