The Chinese Fan “A Thousand Faces” from the Collection of the Museum of Local History of Kyakhta named after Academician V. A. Obruchev

The article explores the fan as a distinct form of Chinese decorative and applied art. The collection of Chinese art preserved in the Kyakhta Regional Museum named after Academician V. A. Obruchev includes a unique assortment of decorative and applied artifacts. Many of the items in this collection were brought from China as gifts, offering valuable material for research on the subject. The fan is examined not merely as a fashionable item but as an object that goes far beyond the boundaries of a simple accessory in women’s attire, possessing an independent cultural and artistic significance. The authors also reference mentions of fans in the renowned classical novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng), widely regarded as an encyclopedia of life in Qing dynasty China.