Seen Paranormal Activity and loved it? No? You’d rather eat your own feet? Ok perhaps you’d best not read on. But for those who enjoy giving themselves a fright, we bring you the top 5 scariest Beijing sights to visit by night.
Halloween might not be native to China, but ghosts sure are. In fact the ancient capital is brimming with ghost stories and eerie deserted back alleys. So grab a friend you’d also like to scare this Halloween, and ask them if they fancy going for a late night stroll in a lesser-visited part of town. Go on, we dare you.
1. The Forbidden City
Anyone who’s anyone in Chinese ghost history died within the Imperial Palace walls. Executions, assassinations, plots, disappearances, it all happened here. Not just to humans. Some of the Forbidden City’s ghosts are animals seen running across its courtyards at night. And while the museum is closed when darkness falls, there is another way in at night. Enter from the south, just to the west of Tiananmen Gate, as though you’re going to the Forbidden City Concert Hall, then wander down the totally unlit paths. Even a stroll around the moat is pretty damn spooky after 10pm.
2. 81 Chaoyangmennei Avenue (aka Chaonei Church)
The Beijing building that most closely fits your idea of a haunted house, this almost Parisian style abandoned Baroque building was initially built as a church by a British priest who disappeared before the church was completed. When the Church of England sent investigators they discovered a mysterious tunnel leading away from underneath the property. The house later belonged to a KMT officer who fled to Taiwan in 1949 leaving behind a wife who committed suicide. Whatever happened (or happens) here, it’s easily the eeriest building in Beijing. Judging by photos like this one, some have been brave enought to break in. But thanks to hit Chinese horror film The House That Never Dies, you’re quite likely to be joined by film fans should you turn up on Halloween itself.
Where to be scared: 81 Chaoyangmennei Da Jie (north side of the road), 朝阳门内大街81号
3. Prince Gong’s Mansion
Houhai Lake may be a hot neon mess come 8pm each night, but walk west along the south bank, dipping into the labyrinth of deserted hutongs that snake south towards Prince Gong’s Mansion, and we defy you not to feel uneasy as the karaoke fades into the distance. This sprawling property was owned by one of history’s bad boys – the deeply corrupt He Shen. And while he packed his mansion to the rafters with concubines, he was nevertheless famously devoted to his wife, Feng Shi. When Feng Shi’s son died in battle she fell gravely ill. Desperate, He Shen paid monks to pray for her recovery, but to no avail. Her grief killed her and she – along with a few of those concubines – are said to still wander the grounds, wailing and dressed in white. Just ask one of the security guards…no, seriously.
Where to be scared: 17 Qianhai Xi Jie (near Beihaibei Subway), 前海西街17号恭王府
4. Site where the body of Pamela Werner was discovered
Pamela Werner was a 19-year-old English woman murdered in Beijing in 1937 whose case was made famous by Paul French’s 2011 book Midnight In Peking. Pamela wasn’t just murdered as she cycled home that evening, but mutilated horribly. Her body was dumped (sans organs) in a ditch outside the old city wall in an area already so haunted that people didn’t go there, meaning her body wasn’t seen until the next day. Speculation at the time implicated a Japanese secret society and an American sex ring. It was even attributed as a tit-for-tat murder in retaliation for the killing of a Japanese soldier by British soldiers in a brawl. Want to thoroughly spook yourself? First read the book, then head down to the Dongbianmen Watch Tower and old Ming Wall relics park (near the Beijing Railway Station), winding your way north through the disconcertingly quiet former European Legation. Even better, download the route and audio tour created by French himself.
Where to be scared: Start at Dongbianmen Watch Tower at the very east of Chongwenmen Dong Da Jie, 崇文门东大街东便门箭楼
5. The Tomb of General Yuan
Even if you don’t make a trip to this part of town, Yuan’s story is gruesome enough. General Yuan Chonghuan was loyal to the Ming dynasty – loyal to his death. The story goes that he would do anything to protect the imperial family, yet a campaign of lies was used against him, lies that reached the emperor himself, who eventually had Yuan killed via ‘slow cut’ execution or ‘death by 1,000 cuts’. (Yeesh. The worst, right?) Yet he had vowed that his soul would forever keep guard. Betrayed, when the people of Beiping (now Beijing) discovered his alleged disloyalty, they were so incensed they apparently ate his remains as a macabre final insult. Only his head was left, saved by one of his soldiers. His head was buried at Guanchu Gate where his family has held guard ever since, apparently. It’s said that Yuan’s ghost still patrols the area by night, seeking revenge and guarding the territory…
Where to be scared: 52 Donghuashi Xie Jie, Chongwen district, 崇文区东花市斜街52号袁崇焕墓和祠
Bonus Fact: Ghost Street isn’t that scary…
Sounds obvious that it should be spooky, but anyone visiting the street today will find that this is perhaps the most powerfully lit road in the world, every inch covered in neon and lanterns. The street only started taking development steroids recently and was historically the place to go to pick out a coffin. Side streets still jostle with funeral shroud shops. These days the only spirits you’ll find are going to be grain liquors and any apparitions the result of a dodgy crayfish. Ask the locals and they’ll tell you a tale of grim horror. Or at least yell tonight’s beer deals in your face.
Where to be scared: Ghost Street (‘Gui Jie’) is shown on the map as Dongzhimennei Da Jie, “鬼街”东直门内大街
If you would like to be terrified in Beijing at Halloween or any time of the year, we can arrange that for you. While we do focus on more uplifting experiences, you can choose exactly what side of the city you see with our Trip Customization service, so get in touch!