Foreigners haunt Happy Valley’s Halloween bash

A bus load of foreigners joined in the fun at the Happy Valley amusement park's annual Halloween party on Saturday, experiencing firsthand how the Western holiday is creeping into China's cultural calendar.

The foreigners got free admission to the Global Times-sponsored event, and five of them unexpectedly got a chance to be rock stars for a night.

The five were ushered on stage not long after arriving to perform before an audience of several hundred Chinese park-goers. Promptly fitted with a range of Halloween themed hats by a vampire magician, the costumed group then imitated a rock'n'roll band, drawing visible glee from Chinese spectators both young and old.

A volunteer named John Walker from Oklahoma, who is a student at Peking University, was made to wear a rubber mask shaped like a pig's head. He said he "felt a little embarrassed to be up there dressed like that, but I think it was treated as an unexpected surprise for the audience. They loved it, especially the children."

Asked about his expectations of the event, Ben Egbert, also a Peking University student from Ohio, said he "didn't really know what to expect before going, but thought Happy Valley sounded different from the Yen Party I've heard a lot about since I arrived."

On Saturday between 7,000 and 8,000 customers passed through the gate, organizers said. The crowds were entertained by 200 actors kitted out in themed wigs and face paint. Some wore stilts and cloaks; others bumbled between photos-ops as pumpkins and ghouls in soft suits. Strolling families ushered children dressed head-to-toe in fantasy outfits, while Beijing's student visitors walked skittishly through the park's monster-filled grounds.　

Zhi Shaoming, a systems operator dressed as a zombie, told the Global Times, "I work at Happy Valley 10 hours per day." In total, over a thousand people work at Happy Valley, he said. Asked if he enjoyed being paid to scare people on Halloween, he replied through a grey gouged mask, "It's OK, though I've worked here without a holiday for three years."　　

Californian expat Ming-Yu Stephens, 21, was asked what, if anything, scared her most of all that evening. "Honestly," she replied, "the acrobats I saw there were the scariest thing. There was a huge metal contraption with three big revolving wheels. First the acrobats were running inside the wheels, then outside them. They had no ropes, no cushions, nothing to stop them falling. It was pretty terrifying."

The foreign guests called the crowds "creepily negotiable" and "scarily moderate" compared to their expectations. Student Zhou Yuxuan, 20, said he loved the event, noting he spent "only around 15 minutes" waiting in line for his favorite ride. He was with his 11-year-old sister, who was wearing devil horns. "She loves it here," he said, noting, "My sister gets scared easily."

Zhou said he has been to Happy Valley for Halloween three years in a row, adding "It gets better every year."

Berekh Northcott, 20, a Canadian student at Beijing Language and Culture University, told the Global Times, "Overall I think they did a really good job here. The Chinese may not do Halloween exactly as we would, but getting my face painted certainly didn't disappoint."

Was anything missing from Happy Valley's version of the Halloween? "Bobbing for apples!" Northcott replied. "That would have been perfect."