Halloween is not an official holiday in China, but it is quickly gaining popularity among the younger generations. We celebrate it more or less the same way you do in the west – by indulging in one or more of the seven deadly sins (especially gluttony). But with a Chinese twist, naturally.
The Chinese civilisation has always had the ability to absorb/assimilate outsiders and their culture. “Everyone and everything that enters China eventually becomes Chinese”, as the old adage goes. When Buddhism was introduced to China, it adopted various Confucian and Taoist teachings; when Christianity came to China, it became an alternative form of Taoism that incorporated elements of Chinese ancestral worship (think Hong Xiuquan and the Taiping Rebellion); when Marxism-Leninism came to China, it combined western political theory with China’s material conditions and the practical experiences of the Chinese anti-imperialist struggle to become Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, which eventually evolved into Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.
Likewise, western holidays such as Halloween were Sinicised as they became popular in China. Instead of trick-or-treating, we gather round for hotpot or crawfish boils; instead of getting drunk on Heineken and Carlsburg, we get plastered on Tsingtao and erguotou. Unlike our western counterparts, Chinese youths tend to see drugs as “uncool”, and prefer all-night video game sessions instead.
But where Halloween in China truly shines are the costumes. In recent years, Halloween cosplay in the west has become a bit…lackluster. Like, don’t get me wrong, I love seeing ladies dressed up as nurses and witches and Catwoman as much as the next bloke, but China’s cosplayers are in a whole different league of their own.
While China does have its own traditional Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan/Yulan Festival), it is considered taboo to “mock” the spirits by dressing up as them or mimicking them on that day. However, the same rules for the most part do not apply when it comes to Halloween, a western import. This is where China’s diverse collection of supernatural horrors and unique internet meme culture manifest themselves in a truly modernised and fun fashion.
These ladies are dressed up as Heibai Wuchang/“Black and White Impermanence”, the deities who guide dead spirits to the underworld in Chinese folklore.
These people here are cosplaying as a parody of the “佛系/Buddha-like” meme and “Double 11/Single’s Day”. If you know, you know.
Christ on a bike! Well, more like Buddha on a scooter.
Growing up in Hong Kong, there is nothing quite as enjoyable as Halloween at Ocean Park. They always have the most localised, creative and scariest haunted houses. This year for instance they’re going to have a haunted house based on the iconic Kowloon Walled City. They even made a trailer for it which you can see below. I warn you though, it’s pretty spooky.
Young people everywhere are stressed as hell these days, so I welcome anything that helps us relax and have fun (without causing too much harm to ourselves and others).
