Historical significance of paper...
Early use as a symbol for money to burn over graves of the dead
175 A.D. - Paper replaced silk as a medium for writing.
610 A.D. the Japanese began to make paper
750 A.D. the battle fought between Muslims and Chinese at Samarkand in Turkestan (now part of Uzbekistan at formerly part of the Soviet Union) spurred the development of paper outside Chinaís domain.