Love it, or loathe it, Halloween is fast approaching. Although originally American, this holiday has provided Chinese retailers with the perfect shelf filler between the mooncakes, and Chinese New Year goodies...
More decorations and costumes are popping up in supermarkets and convenience stores in Chengdu, but Taobao 淘宝 of course is still king if you want to take first prize at the costume party.
Physical Stores
Sam's Club, Metro, Carrefour, Ito Yokado, Auchan, Walmart and even shops like 7Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, Miniso have accessories and often halloween candy.
You can find your nearest hypermarket by scanning the ChengduExpat+ Mini Program below, then use the search function.
⇣
Shi Er Nan Jie 十二南街
or Shaanxi Street 陕西街
For Costume Hire
Both of these Chengdu streets are located in the city centre and are chock full of costumes for hire - with prices ranging from 50-300RMB a day - don't be afraid to bargain. Most of the costumes can even be bought for keeps if you don’t want to return it.
1) Shiernan street 十二南街
Right by the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, on Shi'er south street has lot's of traditional Chinese costumes, and lots of sequinned dance clothes. It’s also a great place to snap up a sparkly dress for your company's Chinese New Year party, if you find yourself in a bind.
Address:
武侯区十二南街 (在四川音乐学院的附近）
Shiernan Street, near the Sichuan Conservatory of Music
2) Shaanxi street 陕西街
This street south of Tianfu Square is home to several tailors, and several costume shops. Lots of fun dresses and accessories to spice-up any kind of party...
Address:
Shaanxi Street (southwest of Tianfu Square) 青羊区陕西街
In between Line 1 Jinjiang Hotel/ Tianfu Square stops.
Hehuachi Wholesale Market 荷花池服装城
Located not too far from the North Train Station, this multi purpose market is considered as Chengdu's "offline Taobao", having tons of clothing options, from traditional Chinese style to more avante-guarde items. WARNING: this is not a small market, so requires some dedication, but they have many womens, mens and childrens items. Remember to bargain.
Address:
Beizhan Dongyi Rd. No. 18, Jinniu District
金牛区, 荷花池街道, 北站东一路18号
700m walk from Line 1, Renmin North Station Exit B1
Hehuachi Wholesale Market
蓝光金荷花国际时装批发城
Toys R Us 玩具反斗城
For Kids Costumes
Addresses:
5F, Mix City, No.8 Shuangqing Road, Chenghua District
成华区双庆路8号华润万象城5楼
LG2, IFS Chengdu, No.1 3rd Section Hongxing Road
红星路三段1号成都国际金融中心LG2层
4F, CapitaMall, No.183 Jiaoda Road, Jinniu District
金牛区交大路183号凯德广场2期4楼
Global Center 3F, Gaoxin District
高新区新世界环球中心3层
4F, Ufun Mall, No.300, Jiaozi Dadao, Wuhou District
武侯区交子大道300号悠方购物中心4F
and more stores
For the best options, of course Taobao is your best bet
Search for 万圣节服装 then click 发货地 -> 成都 for local e-stores with faster delivery. Or scroll to the bottom for costume stores in Chengdu. You can also ask suppliers to SF your package (which normally takes 24-48 hours), and you can pay for the extra postage on arrival.
Search for 万圣节服装
In a rush? Click 发货地 -> 成都 for local e-stores
If you can't find what you're looking for in English, here are some Chinese keywords to help narrow down your quest:
服装
fú zhuāng
costume
cos服
cos fú
cosplay item
面具
miàn jù
mask
成人
chéng rén
adult
儿童
ér tóng
child
均码
jūn mǎ
"one size fits most"
定做
dìng zuò
custom-made
Got all that? Easy peasy. We'll come back to those later.
Next, here are some costume idea keywords in orange with actual screenshots copied straight from Taobao herself... we couldn't make these up if we tried:
Note: we are not endorsing any specific Taobao shop in this list - just use for reference and ALWAYS check the comments and ratings before buying!
Batman
蝙蝠侠
biān fú xiá
You only wish you could be as cool as this guy
Optimus Prime
擎天柱
qíng tiān zhù
Ninja
忍者
rěn zhě
Pumpkin
南瓜
nán guā
Trippy Panda Head
創意熊貓頭套
chuàng yì xióng māo tóu tào
Cavemen
穴居人
xué jū rén
So fashion!
Wonder Woman
神奇女侠
shén qí nǚ xiá
A Donut?
甜甜圈
tián tián quān
Pharaohs
埃及法老
āi jí fǎ lǎo
I don't think these are all pharoahs...
Waimai Delivery Guy
外卖司机
wài mài sī jī
Minions
小黄人
xiǎo huáng rén
Those don't look like the Minions we know and love
Harry Potter house robe
哈利波特斗篷
hā lì bō tè dòu péng
Creepy old people
偕老面具
xié lǎo miàn jù
Princesses
公主
gōng zhǔ
Alien Abductee?
充气外星人
chōng qì wài xīng rén
Pizza
披萨
pī sà
Astronaut
宇航员
yǔ háng yuán
Security guard
保安
bǎo ān
This is Sparta!
斯巴达武士
sī bā dá wǔ shì
World Leader Masks
总统面具
zǒng tǒng miàn jù
Who are they!?
Winnie the Pooh
小熊维尼
xiǎo xióng wéi ní
VERY popular again this year...
Virgin Mary
圣母玛利亚
shèng mǔ mǎ lì yà
Spider-Man
蜘蛛侠
zhī zhū xiá
Nemo
小丑鱼
xiǎo chǒu yú
Thor (and son)
托尔
tuō ěr
Iron Man
钢铁人
gāng tiě rén
Captain America
美国队长
měi guó duì zhǎng
Hulk
绿巨人
lǜ jù rén
Zombies
行尸走肉
háng shī zǒu ròu
Dancing Crayons
蜡笔
là bǐ
Journey to the West
西游记
xī yóu jì
Super Family
超人
chāo rén
Michael Jackson
迈克尔·杰克逊
mài kè ěr ·jié kè xùn
Newsie
卖报人
mài bào rén
Horse head
马头面
mǎ tóu miàn
Sumo Suits
相扑
xiàng pū
Pink Bunny from A Christmas Story
圣诞粉红兔子
shèng dàn fěn hóng tù zǐ
Corpse Bride
女僵尸新娘
nǚ jiāng shī xīn niáng
A piano?
钢琴
gāng qín
Red Guard
红卫兵
hóng wèi bīng
Creepy Teddy Bears
泰迪熊
tài dí xióng
String them together for precise searches.
Eg:
小熊维尼面具
xiǎo xióng wéi ní miàn jù
Winnie the Pooh mask
儿童万圣节服装
ér tóng wàn shèng jiē fú zhuāng
Child's Halloween costume
定做成人公主服装
dìng zuò chéng rén gōng zhǔ fú zhuāng
Custom-made Adult Princess Costume
