Tormented Threads: The Beijinger Halloween Costume Shopping Guide

In Beijing, Halloween can sometimes be as fun for idle spectators as those wearing the spooky costumes. That’s because anyone donning these beastly outfits is often in a tiny minority as they walk down the street to Hallows Eve shindigs, drawing stares and giggles from many locals who have only glimpsed the holiday on TV. Halloween’s relative newness in China is reflected in its limited selection of costume shops, prompting most of us to get creative when acquiring threads for our alter-egos – diving through thrift store bargain bins, scouring shopping websites (which can be more than a chore for those of us with limited Mandarin) and haggling with vendors at markets. The thrill of that chase can be enticing for some, making us feel like Ghostbusters until we finally happen upon the perfect ghoulish getup for our chosen Halloween event.

But that process can sometimes be a hassle. Anyone looking for simpler Halloween prep options should check out the following costume shops, online vendors, markets and potential vintage gold.

Costume Shops 
Roundabout, a small Shunyi charity shop, is packed to the rafters with donated items, including what’s widely considered to be Beijing’s greatest variety of Halloween apparel (as we mentioned last year). Sarah Liang, a volunteer at Roundabout, notes the shop has a vast assortment of superhero costumes, witch outfits, and cowboy gear (most priced at only RMB 30). “We also have plastic pumpkins, decorations, and those machines with censors that make a creepy sound when you walk by,” she says with a laugh. Liang adds that Roundabout’s selection of masks would satisfy any grown up looking to dress up, but admits that most of the costumes are kid sized. 

On the other hand, customers of all shapes and sizes can be accommodated at Huan Run, a massive costume rental shop with a plethora of outfit options. However, its physical store’s recent move from Wanda Plaza to Fengtai may put off many customers, and its exclusively Mandarin order site may be equally tricky for some expats. 

Roundabout 
Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm. Yuyang Road West, Off An Hua Road (Behind Yosemite Villa Compound), Shunyi District. (137 1877 7761)
顺义区众爱商店，顺义区榆阳路（优山美地别墅后街，从安华路转入）

Huan Run
RMB 50-100. Daily 9am-6pm. 5/F, Hua Bao Gongyu B, Liu Li Qiao Bei Li, Fengtai District. (15300283107) www.fuzhuangzulin.com (a variety of costume rental options that can be ordered online)
北京六里桥北里华宝公寓B区5层

Online Costume Shops
Huan Run isn’t the only source on the net for Halloween costumes. Anyone looking to keep their outfit, instead of renting it, can try Taobao, which is host to a vast spectrum of costumes (Hu Yuan Yuan, Huan Run’s rental department manager, even admitted over the phone with the Beijinger that: “Most people get their Halloween costumes from Taobao, a lot of them aren’t coming to us for that.”). Those looking for an alternative to Taobao can visit Jingdong (aka JD.com, formerly known as 360Buy) which aims to be Taobao’s chief rival, and Dangdang (which is often nicknamed by users as a “Chinese copycat of Amazon"). Liang admits that these websites offer cheap costume options, but thinks that customers might end up getting what they pay for: “It can be hard for them to check the quality of the costumes online.”

Taobao has by far the most extensive selection of costumes and they are likely to be the cheapest, which is ideal for the wrath of a full weekend's partying it is likely to incur. Here are JD's and Dangdang's Halloween wares.

Halloween Costume Vendors on Taobao:
Lots of options to be found here and here, many missing the mark completely, as often happens in China, disappearing into the realms of absurdity. Deer in the headlights perhaps?

Scary/sexy/Russian elephant?

Now we're getting into nightmare material. Magician clowns ...

The children's options don't get much better, well, not in advertizing execution at least. Child Spiderman costume with optional provocative pose?

There's almost no end to the most innocuous costume of them all: the lame Mr. Pumpkin Head.

Looks like someone ate too much candy and is now full of regret.

To summarize: shopping online is likely to bag you the best selection at primo prices but expect the quality to range somewhere between "don't even think about going near to an open flame wearing this" to "I wanted Hellraiser but got Elton John."
 

Markets
Our next option certainly offers no guarantee against Liang’s quality control concerns, but at least it lets customers see and touch costumes before purchasing them. Various markets scattered across Beijing offer plenty of options – the Russian district’s Alien Street Market is well reputed for featuring props and accessories like pirate swords, princess crowns, devil horns and more. Yashow market in Sanlitun has a well rounded variety masks and simple costumes (although customers will have difficulty haggling down to a price that’s still double that of the items on Taobao or at Roundabout). Xicheng district’s Tianyi market has a solid reputation for housing Halloween decorations, while also featuring plenty of wigs and simple costumes. And a vast array of smaller neighborhood markets, such as Tianyu near Tuanjiehu park, feature a few stalls with basic masks, devil ears and similarly simplistic items.

Alien Street Market
Yabao Lu (south of Fulllink Plaza), Chaoyang District.
老番街市场, 朝阳区雅宝路

Hongqiao Market 
Daily 8.30am-7pm. 36 Hongqiao Lu, Chongwen District. (6713 3354)
红桥市场, 崇文区红桥路36号

Panjiayuan Antique Market
Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 4.30am-6pm. West of Panjiayuan Qiao, Chaoyang District. (6775 2405)
潘家园旧货市场, 朝阳区潘家园桥西边 

Vantone Market 
Daily 9am-8:30pm. 2 Fuchengmen Wai Dajie, Xicheng District (near Fuchengmen subway station). (6804 6283) 
西城区外大街2号

Tianyi Market
Daily 7:30am-5:30pm. 259 Fuchengmen Wai Davie, Xicheng District. (6832 9332)
西城区阜成门外大街259号

Tianyu Market (near Tuanjiehu park)
Daily 8:00am-6:30pm. 10 Tuanjiehu Dongli, Chaoyang District
朝阳区团结湖路东里10号

Wudaokou Clothing Market
Daily 9am-7.30pm. Northeast corner of Xueyuan Lu and Beisihuan Lu, Haidian District. (6239 6347)
五道口服装市场, 海淀区学院路和北四环路十字路口的东北角

Yashow Market
Daily 9.30am-9pm. 58 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6415 1726)
雅秀市场, 朝阳区工体北路58号

Vintage
Many of the aforementioned items found at Beijing’s markets may be too tacky or generic for the most seasoned of Halloween caped crusaders. Those fright night vets may be more pleased with the threads featured at our city’s famed vintage clothing shops. Xicheng’s Da Za Huo Bu is famed for having “funky” outfits that would be perfect for any hippie costume. Fare from a wider spectrum of decades can be found at beloved haunts like Andingmen’s Nostalgia. But the shop’s owner, Chen Yi Lin, tells the Beijinger that such endeavors will require a bit of imagination and mixing and matching on the part of the buyer, because most shops like hers don’t offer conventional Halloween costumes. “I don’t even like Halloween,” she says with a laugh, adding: “Most Halloween clothes are new, not vintage, in China because the holiday is pretty new for us.” 

Liang agrees that Halloween still hasn’t become mainstream in much of Beijing, and until then spook enthusiasts will have to be creative and resourceful. But she adds that this may not be the case for long: “Halloween used to be only for expats, but now in some residential areas there are haunted houses and other activities for kids, both foreign and Chinese, and more and more local people are getting involved. So Halloween is definitely getting more and more popular with Chinese people.”

Anna Sui
Daily 9am-9:30pm. BB35, B1/F, 3rd District, The malls at Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing, Dongcheng District (8518 6591)
东方新天地三区B1层BB35

Begins
Daily 10am-8pm. 280, Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (6402 8262)
鼓楼东大街280号

Da Za Huo Bu
No.235, F7, Beijing Strategy, Huawei Mall, Xidan, Xicheng District (6603 0660)
西单华威大厦7层北京攻略235号

Dragon House Vintage
Daily 2-10pm. 82 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区方家胡同76号

Mega Mega Vintage
241 Guloudong Dajie, Dongcheng District (8404 5637) 
东城区鼓楼东大街241号

Nostalgia
Daily 11am-11pm. 161 Andingmen Nei Dajie, Dongcheng District (1053 7410)
东城区安定门内大街161号

Trash 'n' Diamond
Daily 10am-9pm. 22 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District (5826 3995)
朝阳区百子湾路22号

Fabric Markets
Lastly, hit up this blog we published last year about Beijing's best fabric markets.

Best of luck with all your beastly browsing! This guide to using Tabao without Alipay or an Chinese ID number may come in handy but if you're even too poor to make a costume or just too goddamned lazy to get off your couch, check out our list of outfits you can make on the cheap. Here again are the best of this year's events.

Additional writing by Tom Arnstein.

Photos: Taobao, china.org.cn