Happy Halloween, everybody. For those of you wondering, the some-years-strong Beijing tradition of dressing up and riding Subway Line 2 on the weekend before Halloween will come to a close this year. Authorities are worried about the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, so they don’t want their public transportation clogged with beer-guzzling foreigners doing weird shit and attracting crowds.
Beijing police have warned people they face arrest for wearing Halloween fancy dress on the subway as it may cause crowds to gather and create “trouble”, a state-run newspaper said on Friday, unveiling a list of APEC summit-related restrictions.
Specifically:
“Public transport police point out, please do not wear strange outfits in subway stations or in train carriages, which could easily cause a crowd to gather and create trouble,” [the Beijing News] said.
Police had the power to arrest those who “upset order”, the paper said.
“If the chaos is serious and causes a stampede or other public safety incident, the police will deal with it severely in accordance with the law.”
It’s a shame, because the PSB crashed the party last year and we got along pretty well. They rode a stop with us, asking politely that we leave at Dongsishitiao.
Those wishing to call the authorities’ bluff have our full endorsement, of course. Photos, stories, etc., please send our way. (More likely, you’ll be in costume and find yourself needing to use the subway; we’re pretty sure no one would mind, but if you notice anything out of the ordinary or noteworthy, let us know.)
Good news is, there’s still plenty to do this Halloween, and if you’re a slacker who needs some easy-to-make China-centric costume ideas, we have you covered. See if you can beat my DIY costume from 2008 (center):
Note: top image is from the Hong Kong subway.
They’re giggling so hard at their own clever funniness.
Meanwhile the Hongkeys on the train are thinking “fucking gweilo wankers”.
First we can’t smoke weed, now we can’t have our Halloween Subway party?! Sometimes I really think that there’s no freedom in this country.