Whether you're attending some annual Halloween masquerade on Friday night or carving a Carrefour-bought pumpkin at home, Halloween simply isn't the same without the right costume. Sure, you could ply some local kids with candy, demanding that they scream "Trick or Treat!" until it feels like home. But approaching them dressed as a decrepit witch or a horror movie villain is sure to make more of an impression.

Beijing isn't equipped with a Halloween superstore, though many shops and markets offer clothing and accessories that are appropriately flamboyant, gory and weird.

D4

On the fourth floor of the Xidan Huawei shopping mall, D4 displays stuffed animals and bloody masks side by side. Specializing in toys and Halloween goods, the stall features a large selection of plastic skulls, pumpkins and accessories of the scary sort.

D4 Hall East, fourth floor of Xidan Huawei shopping mall, Xicheng District.

Gui Ji Peking Opera Goods Shop

If you've always wanted to dress up as the Monkey King, this is the place to shop. Gui Ji Peking Opera Goods Shop stocks masks, face paint, hats, shoes and swords. Complete costumes cost as little as 70 yuan or as much as 1,000 yuan for a high quality tailor-made version. 130 Qianmen Dajie, Xuanwu District.

Kids Plus

Kids Plus in Pinnacle Plaza sells character costumes inspired by The Incredibles, Superman, Batman and Spiderman among others. Prices range from 150 to 200 yuan for children and 250 to 350 yuan for adults. Custom-made costumes are available, though they take about a week. Masks, vampire teeth and fake blood are also sold.

Rm 701, the Pinnacle Plaza, Shunyi.

Golden Five Star Market (Jin Wu Xing)

What better costume for a Beijing Halloween than the ubiquitous security guard? Dress like a member of the security fleet with a uniform purchased at the Golden Five Star Market. Here you can find all kinds of uniforms, in addition to accessories and tchotchkes.

Xueyuan Nanlu, Haidian District (north of Mingguang Market).

Hongqiao Market

Perhaps the most common Halloween costume is not a costume at all, but a combination of black clothing, dramatic makeup and flashy accessories. Hongqiao Market is the ideal destination for this kind of getup. Its third floor is packed with cheap and glittery jewellery, eye shadow, face paint and fake eyelashes can be found on the first floor. For a Chinese-themed Halloween, pick up a traditional-style dress and painted fan. Tiantan Donglu, Chongwen District.

3501 PLA Surplus Store

The official disposal store of the world's largest army offers both outdoor gear and Communist memorabilia. Take advantage of Halloween being the one day of the year where head-to-toe camouflage is acceptable. The PLA Surplus Store's army greatcoats and Lei Feng hats make for warm trick-or-treating.

23 Dongsanhuan Lu, South of Jing Guang Centre, Dongcheng District.

Wudaokou Fashion Market

With a bewildering array of clothing, footwear and accessories at prices much lower than Xidan, the Wudaokou Clothing Market (Fuzhuang Shichang) could easily be a one-stop Halloween shop. In addition to used clothing and fake name-brand sportswear, the market stocks army surplus gear and punk regalia.

Northeast corner of Xueyuan Lu and the North Third Ring Road.

Natasha Degen

(China Daily 10/26/2006 page10)