Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

Cackling witches, groaning ghosts and lost spirits whispering in the night - these are a few of my favorite things. The time has come; it's almost Halloween!

For me and many others, it's the one time a year that it's socially acceptable for an adult to dress up as their favorite character and hit the town for a night of spooktacular fun.

This is my second Halloween in Beijing. In my first year, I was surprised by the number of events that were available. There were original horror movie screenings, creepy concerts and even costume contests. One bar even had a theme where everyone should come dressed up as a dead Disney character, and being a huge fan of both I immediately knew what I was going to do.

I remember how I felt a little embarrassed at first when I left my house in my costume. Back in the US, it would not be that weird, but when I cycled down the hutong near my house looking like the undead, I got some stares. Locals did double takes. Some pointed and laughed, and I genuinely think I scared a few people. I was happily relieved to get to my location where I wasn't the only weirdo.

My first Halloween in Beijing was amazing, and I felt lucky that there were so many venues and options for my favorite holiday.

This year, a group of us are planning on getting dressed up and hitting KTV. I can't wait to see the looks we get when we show up, and hopefully, the night will provide us with a plethora of pictures of singing zombies, superheroes and Game of Thrones characters.

I haven't purchased my costume yet. But the great thing about China is you have so many cheap and convenient options! I am eyeing some white contacts and a set of fangs on Taobao, and the costume I want is only 60 yuan ($9). In the US, I would be spending almost $100 for the same costume.

Halloween in Beijing is fun and exciting because people get really creative and go all out. Some of my friends here have been planning their costumes for months.

Even though China doesn't technically celebrate the traditional Western Halloween holiday, it still has some pretty spooky celebrations similar to Halloween.

For example, the Hungry Ghost Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, is definitely linked to the afterlife. The holiday is meant to deal with ghosts and ancestor worship, and you can find people burning fake money on the street, sending it up to their ancestors for admiration and luck in the afterlife. Last year, during the Hungry Ghost Festival, my Chinese friend wouldn't leave her house because she was so scared.

I will spend the next few days binge-watching scary shows and putting together my costume to celebrate Halloween once again on the other side of the world! And since China is so ancient, I know there must be a lot more ghosts coming out to play.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.