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Celebrating Halloween presents scary dilemma
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It’s the third year American Jonathan Bradley has been in Hangzhou, and once again, he faced the dilemma of whether he should do anything for Halloween, which is today.
Costumes are available in markets and online to mark the foreign holiday, yet he was concerned about giving a shock to others like he did in the previous two years.
Two years ago on Halloween, Bradley dressed like Spock in “Star Trek” and went to a bar, but locals looked at him funny. It was not until a foreigner approached and gave him the Vulcan greeting with fingers parted that “Spock” felt better.
He thought perhaps he had gone to the wrong place, and so next year he picked a cafe that sent him a text saying it would have a Halloween party. He dressed as a wizard from the head to toe, but everyone else just donned a free mask handed out by the cafe.
“This Halloween, I will play it by ear,” said Bradley, a lifelong Halloween fan. “Maybe no makeup, but only taking a set of ‘horror’ fangs so I don’t scare local people.”
Others have had the same dilemma. Another American expat in Hangzhou, Trevor Lamb, likes Halloween so much that in his first year in Hangzhou, he organized a Halloween party. But, he said, “now there’s not much to get excited about.”
“The holiday could pass here without much notice,” he added. “Also, Halloween is not just about darkness and scaring, it’s about expression and fantasy — two concepts that are not mainstream in Hangzhou.”
Gatherings that are held for Halloween tend to be tame.
At a Halloween party last weekend, though it was a party for Chinese people who had studied overseas, only a few were in costume and most of them had on a mask given out by the party organizer.
Huang Juan was one of the few dressed up. The girl, who studied in Hong Kong for her master’s degree, cosplayed Mulan, the heroine in the animated film of the same name and a Chinese legendary figure who took her aged father’s place in the army.
“Little people recognized who I cosplayed for, and some thought my makeup was too much — well, that was for the effect of being like Mulan,” said Huang. “Also, I dared not draw my sword from the beginning to the end of the party.”
For locals, it is understandable that they have not gotten used to the imported holiday because they traditionally think of festivals and holidays as having a bright, happy and bustling atmosphere.
Also, celebrating Halloween often means a trip to the store.
“I sell Halloween stuff every year, and I don’t make much money on it,” said Wang Quanjia, a booth owner at Hangzhou Huanbei Small Commodities Market. There are witch’s hats, fake bloody hands, vampire fangs and some cloaks, all going for cheap prices from a couple of yuan to a few dozen yuan.
There are several booths like Wang’s that sell festival goods. Halloween never boosts their revenue much, and compared to other products they import, they don’t move much wholesale Halloween merchandise.
“School students and bars are the main customers, and I seldom hear that someone wants to buy an entire costume,” said Wang.
No matter how you feel about celebrating Halloween in Hangzhou this year, we offer you some places that you can go for a party. Just don’t get too carried away with the ghoulish makeup so you don’t scare the locals.
Halloween Party @ Maya
Date: October 31, 9pm-2am
Venue: Maya Bar, 94 Baishaquan, Shuguang Rd
Tel: (0571) 8799-7628
Halloween Night @ Angelo’s
Date: October 31, 7:30pm-1am
Venue: Angelo’s, No. 6, Lane 2, Baoshi Hill, Baochu Rd
Tel: (0571) 8521-2100
Website: angelos-restaurant.com/angelo-menu.php
Halloween Party @ Vineyard
Date: October 31, 7-10pm
Venue: Vineyard Cafe, 1/F, Zhongtian Mansion, 173 Yugu Rd
Tel: (0571) 8763-2388
Halloween Costume Party
Date: October 31, 7-10pm
Venue: RistoranteMulinaccio, 123 Pinghai Rd
Tel: (0571) 8782-5681
Asia Bistro for Halloween
Date: October 31, 5-9pm
Venue: Asia Bistro, 1/F, JW Marriott Hotel Hangzhou, 28 Hushu Rd S.
Tel: (0571) 8578-8888 ext 6337
Halloween Party @ Amigo
Date: October 31, 11am-10:30pm
Venue: Amigo Bar, 8 Yugu Rd
Tel: (0571) 8880-9599
Sexy Scary Halloween Party @ Reggae
Date: October 31
Venue: Reggae Bar, 131 Xueyuan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8657-5749
A Spooktacular Halloween Party
Date: October 31-November 1, 5pm-1am
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hangzhou Grand Canal, 333 Shangtang Rd
Tel: (0571) 8816-8888
Website: www.crowneplaza.com
Halloween Night @ Coco Banana
Date: November 1, 10pm-4am
Venue: Coco Banana, 2/F, Block A, Dragon Times Square, 266 Tianmushan Rd
Tel: 138-5710-8359
American Suspense Drama “Halloween Game”
Date: November 1-2, 7:30-10pm
Venue: Hangzhou Red Star Theater, 280 Jianguo Rd S.
Tickets: 80 yuan, 100 yuan, 120 yuan, 180 yuan
Tel: (0571) 8780-5135
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