No zombies allowed: Beijing set to regulate wearing horror make-up on trains

Attention zombies, ghosts, monsters and aliens: You are not welcome on Beijing’s subway.

Fearing the possibility of panic and stampedes in Beijing’s overcrowded subway stations, the capital has issued guidelines on the wearing of “bizarre dress” and “horror makeup” inside the train network.

The new rules did not explicitly impose a ban, and did not specify any punishment for violations. There was no explanation for the timing of the announcement.

“Some costumes will cause panic, thus posing a threat to security [within the station]. So we discourage people from wearing them even though they are not banned,” Liang Jianwei, deputy head of Beijing’s transport police, was quoted by local newspaper Beijing Morning Post as saying.

Beijing had temporarily banned costumes on trains last year ahead of Halloween, which is increasing in popularity among China’s young.

Other Chinese cities have had problems with Halloween costumes.

A 31-year-old man was detained last year by Shanghai police for a Halloween zombie prank in a subway station. In a three-minute video uploaded online, the carriage descended into mass chaos as he dashed around with a scarred face, ‘attacking’ terrified passengers.