Halloween is coming up faster than we can blink. The usual question amongst expats arises: Where on earth can we locate costumes in Beijing?

There are the usual answers (which can be found here in last year’s post): Yashow Market, Silk Market, Alien Street Market, Panjiayuan (Dirt) Market and Hongqiao (Pearl) Market. You’ll see those venues all have something in common – you’ll be required to bargain and scrounge through junk at every single one of them.

Sometimes, we just don’t have the time. Huan Run – a small costume rental store located in Wanda Plaza – is a bit better, but still. The thought of wearing musty used clothing can be unappealing to a good number of you. (Though if it isn’t, we highly recommend you take a look. There are actually rare finds, including traditional warrior get-ups and service uniforms.)

Xidan, too, houses a few such vendors – such as the Minority World Market in the back roads past Starbucks and by McDonald’s. We have it on good account that this is the place in Beijing for costumes, whether you’re looking for fake glasses, feather boas, bling, colored contacts or lingerie. It can be tricky to find, but the items are cheap and diverse and just plain eccentric – perfect for Hallow’s Eve.

Of course, more and more online options are becoming available these days as well. Dong-Xi.com heavily advertised the fact that they’ll forward any costumes you purchase from America’s biggest supplier, HalloweenExpress.com.

A quick browse-through showed an enormous selection – albeit overpriced – just a click away. Avatar costumes appear to be a big hit, from Jake Sully masks (RMB 140) to full-out Neytiri body suits (RMB 318), the latter of which are so popular that they’re already all sold out in size S and M.

There are also your other usual get-ups, from sexy nurses to scary vampires. Our personal fave is the Tinkerbelly (RMB 359), though.

Finally, you can never go wrong with Taobao.com. I know too many of us are hesitant to try it since it’s all in Chinese, but you can conduct plenty of searches entirely in English. (And you can always use online translators like www.nciku.com to guide you along the way.) Best of all, it’s cheap, fast and convenient.

If you’re a girl, we suggest you type in: 万圣节女服装 (Halloween women's clothing). That’ll give you the most general results. The following are some of our more "acceptable" finds: 

Sailor (RMB 82)
 

Nurse (RMB 48) 

Nun (RMB 80) 

And for the fellas, type in: 万圣节男服装 (Halloween men's clothing). There's slimmer pickings, but still good stuff to choose from.

Cowboy (RMB 95)

Ghoul/skeleton/Scream killer (RMB 30)

Pirate (RMB 54.50)

Of course, if your Chinese is good, you can find almost anything you want. Better yet, enlist a Chinese friend to help you! Good luck, and be creative. Happy Halloween!