I like the idea of dressing up, especially in costume, for Halloween. But I can’t quite bear to bring myself  to spend hard-earned money on one-time use (and generally ill-fitting) costumes and accessories every year when October rolls around. Aside from shopping at Roundabout, which usually has a Halloween rack of clean, secondhand costumes, I wanted a more sustainable solution. Luckily, this year, thanks to this article on theBeijinger, I called up the two biggest costume rental shops in Beijing and asked about my Halloween costume rental options. Here’s a look at some the options they offered me:

PRO TIP: Besides Halloween costumes for both adults and kids, they also offer props and decorations – which are great if you have a Best Decorated House competition in your residential compound or if you just want to switch up the decorations you’ve already got!

Both shops have physical brick-and-mortar stores where you can try on the costumes and have them tailored to fit better, with enough time before you need it of course. They even offer make-up artists and photography services (at additional charge). Simple costumes start from RMB 80 to rent for a day, though they are generally happy to extend the duration up to a week if it isn’t a highly-demanded piece.

My son and I chose to be matching ninjas this year and I contacted the shops the weekend right before Halloween (talk about last-minute) to ask if this was still available. Heyi costume shop was super prompt to respond via WeChat; sending me photos and videos of whatever I asked for. The kid costume was RMB 80 and the adult one RMB 100. Accessories are optional and subject to additional charges. Again, they have lots of photos of their inventory so feel free to ask them for whatever it is you’re looking for. There is a deposit of RMB 400 which is fully refundable once the costumes have been returned.

The costumes were sent via local delivery (fees included in the rental charge) and we are expecting to receive them tomorrow, with just a little bit of time to make some small adjustments if necessary. So if you’re still looking for a last-minute costume or decoration rental, add the WeChat contact of Heyi Costume shop using mobile number 136 7110 0792.

Do note that we had issues with trying to deliver the toy sword that we chose for the ninja costume due to increased security around Beijing this month. We decided to buy one from the neighborhood grocery store instead, which is full of last-minute quick Halloween fixes if you need it!

KEEP READING: Best Family-Friendly Films To Get Into The Spirit of Halloween

Images: Pexels, courtesy of Heyi Costume Leasing

If you’re tired of the usual werewolves and Marvel superhero costumes for Halloween, maybe it’s time you turn to the rich history of Chinese mythology and culture for a local take on this Western tradition. Check out the following stereotypes in Chinese horror tales and movies for some fresh costume ideas!

JiangShi 僵尸 Jiāngshī

Screenshot from Mr. Vampire (1985)

Basically the Chinese version of a vampire-zombie fusion, the jiangshi is a hopping corpse and one of the earliest faces of Chinese horror. It is all brawn and no brain. In older Chinese horror films, they hopped around using both legs rather than slowly stalking their prey, and could be contained by talismans and holy bells wielded by monks or priests. As a kid watching those films, it was much more of a joke than a scare. To this day, it is unclear if they want to drink blood or eat human flesh (read brains), but who’s sticking around to ask?

Search JiangShiFuZhuang in TaoBao for costumes such as these!

YaoGuai 妖怪 Yāoguài/MoGui 魔鬼 Móguǐ

The YaoGuai is an all-encompassing term for monsters and the MoGui refers more specifically to demons or the devil. It sounds scary, but really, it’s usually portrayed like this in Chinese literature and media:

So it’s really not as bad as it sounds. The YaoGuai is often an animal spirit or fallen celestial being, much like Lucifer. MoGuis, on the other hand, are usually born out of undesirable emotions such as greed or lust. Their ultimate aim is generally to attain immortality, through lots of human sacrifices or some such nefarious plan.

The Vengeful Bride

It must be said that Asian horror is obsessed with female ghosts and villains. Just think of Ringgu (1998), which is the original Japanese version of Gore Verbinski’s 2002 The Ring, or more directly, the many iterations of the horror film The Bride (2013, 2015) and its myriad spin-offs. Perhaps it has to do with the long history of the female gender’s repression in society, and subsequent revenge for the many injustices women have faced. Whatever the reason, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially a bride on her wedding day!

Interesting note: According to folklore, when a woman dies wearing red, she comes back as an angry ghost seeking vengeance. If she wears white, she becomes a mourning ghost looking for solace, and usually more pitiable than vengeful.

You could always put a simple spin on it and just don a white or red dress and let your hair down to cover your face. Don’t give yourself a scare looking into the mirror!

The Monk/Priestess 

Always an archetype in Chinese horror films, the Taoist/Buddhist monk or priest will have to save the day with either his knowledge or demon-exorcising skills. Updating this for our modern, inclusive society, we can have priestesses and nuns too! This is a super cute one for younger kids, especially if you’ve ever watched the Little Shaolin Monk films!

The Monkey King a.k.a 孙悟空 Sun Wu Kong Sūnwùkōng

One of the most famous Chinese folk tales, The Monkey King needs little introduction, but here it is anyway: After leading a failed rebellion against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by Buddha, a mischievous Monkey God is tasked to escort a monk and sacred Buddhist scriptures from the West (India) in order to earn his place back in the celestial realm. There are many movies and cartoons about this legendary character that the whole family can watch together, my favorite being the trilogy A Chinese Odyssey (1995-2016) featuring Stephen Chow as the famed hero.

Search sunwukong in TaoBao and get a fun costume like this one, and maybe teach your kid to do the twirling stick trick too!

KEEP READING: Tell Me You Forgot About Your Kid’s Halloween Costume Without Telling Me

Images: Courtesy of films, TaoBao

It’s hard to get organized ahead of Halloween sometimes. You get back from Golden Week, think there’s all the time in the world, dream up a brilliant costume, and then bam! Parties start happening and costume contests abound. Whether it’s you or your kid — or both — who need a quick fix for costumes, we have some very easy ideas to salvage some kind of Halloween look.

Good Witch or Bad Witch?

Every store with a Halloween section, no matter how small, should stock a witch’s hat you can grab on your way home. Throw on any kind of dress or dark clothing, maybe add some funky striped socks (come on, you know you have them), and voila! Witchie-poo! You could even stop by a park on the way to the party and borrow a worker’s broom, which look more like a flying device for the witchy at heart than anything at Hogwarts.

Mad Scientist

Got a lab coat or a friend who has one? Pick up some fancy laboratory gloves, that funny bow tie your Aunt Meg sent you, maybe a pair of lens-less specs, and all of a sudden you’re a Mad Scientist. Other key items to add scientific flair are suspenders, a plaid button-down shirt with shorts, and a just-woke-up hairdo.

Garbage Pail Baby Dolls

Think of your favorite baby doll toy if Beetlejuice or Neil Gaiman got a hold of it. It’s easy to just grab a cute dress and some kind of ribbon from a mall, put your hair up, and go nuts with the makeup. Holding a baby doll or Stuffy is a nice touch, as are cool baby doll shoes or boots. There’s no real way to go wrong with this one. Unless you give your kids nightmares, of course.

Mummify Me

Really at a loss? Just stop by a drugstore and buy them out of gauze bandages. Need I say more?

Zombie Fun 

This look just needs some face paint, imagination, and a whole lot of attitude. Perfect for kids aged 10 and up. Give them an oversized jacket from your closet, or mix and match from Halloween costumes of the past. Who doesn’t like zombies?

Their House is a Mu-seum…..

All you need for a classic Addams Family look are some sleek black clothes, hair gel, and makeup. So brush off those fancy dresses and stay elegant and eerie all night long!

KEEP READING: How “The Bad Guys” Can Teach Kids Empathy

Photos: Canva

We know, it’s still just the beginning of October, but the smell of autumn is in the air, and for those of us who live for the thrill of Halloween, it’s never too early to start planning the perfect Halloween costume.

Forget dressing up as a witch, pirate, or vampire. Those were barely cool back in the 90s. Get inspired with these family costumes that’ll show off your trendy cool side.

Watch out for those Babysaurus-Rex! Roar!

Honey, we’re going to need to stop by Watsons for more make-up remover on the way home.

Avengers, assemble!

You’ve got a friend in me.

The force is strong with this one.

Hatsune take-out anyone?

When will Costco finally come to Beijing?

Doo doo doo!

Help us Professor Sprout!

*snap snap*

Oh I just can’t wait to be king!

Winter is coming.

Heroes in the half shell!

Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.

Photos: Pinterest, happygreylucky