The origins of true paper started in China. Similar to the Egyptians, the Chinese had, virtually five thousand years ago, brought out a type of pictographic writing. They too had been using various objects to write on, most notably lengths of bamboo and processed silk and possibly the barkcloth they were making for other uses from the Paper. Mulberry was also used.
Historical documentation tells us that in 105AD a government worker by the name of Tsai Lung, created papyrus, although it seems from finds by archaeologists that actually it was in existence in what is now the People's Republic of China for more than likely two hundred years prior to Tsai Lung.
Way back during olden times setting down words or pictograms was generally done on some derivative of bamboo or on strips of silk, which were called Ji in those days. Nevertheless the prohibitive cost of silk and bamboo being very weighty, these materials were inconvenient. Due to these factors Tsai Lun came up with the idea of making use of bark from trees, hemp, fish nets, and rags. In 105 years after the birth of Christ he made a report to the emperor regarding the production of paper and got many accolades for his creativity. From that time paper has been used every place and is called the "paper of Marquis Tsai".
If this title is Marquis Tsai's entitlement or not, will very likely never be uncovered! However, the main consideration has to be that it was discovered that if they pounded some plant-derived substances in to a paste, cut out impurities, put the paste in liquid, filter it onto textile sheets giving it enough time to dry out. After drying, it congealed into a firm, resilient sheet that was remarkably light, and as long as it did not get damp or wet, proved particularly firm.
This most straightforward of paper making technologies is still practised in precisely a similar way within Nepal and Tibet, the very first areas to pick up the technolgies from South East Asia. A simple frame has a kind of cotton cloth stretched over one side, very watery grume is poured into the far side and moved around until it is level. It is then left in order for it to let the water to leave it and the mache to dry in to a parchment sheet which may be removed by peeling.
By and by an extremely clever individual came to the conclusion that manufacturing a frame with ribbing and putting a delicate removable bamboo mat across it, would enable the paper-making procedure to be quickened enormously. Instead of utilizing one mold for every sheet of parchment, consequently severely restricting the amount of sheets that are able to be made at one time, a stack of sieved mush could be built up a layer at a time, with merely a piece of cotton thread between them to enable later separation. The stack would then be squeezed slightly, and each sheet of mash moved to a dry board.